Manchester United produced a dramatic comeback to secure a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa in an entertaining Premier League encounter at Old Trafford.
Michael Carrick’s men twice came from two goals behind to rescue a point after a difficult afternoon that exposed their defensive problems.
Villa looked on course for an important away victory after building a 4-2 lead, but late goals from Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu denied Unai Emery’s side all three points.
The visitors made a stunning start when Alysson opened the scoring just 48 seconds into the game. The Brazilian youngster received a pass from John McGinn before sending a left-footed effort through Senne Lammens’ legs to give Villa an early advantage.
Manchester United had barely recovered from the opening goal when Nicolas Jackson doubled Villa’s lead in the fourth minute. Lammens failed to deal properly with another Alysson effort, allowing Jackson to collect the rebound and fire into an unguarded net.
United struggled to contain Villa’s attacking threat, but they found a way back into the game in the 16th minute. Matheus Cunha was brought down inside the penalty area by Boubacar Kamara, and the referee awarded a spot-kick after a VAR review.
Bruno Fernandes stepped forward and confidently converted the penalty to reduce the deficit to 2-1. The goal gave United renewed confidence as they increased the pressure on the visitors.
Zion Suzuki was forced into several important saves, including efforts from Cunha and Bruno Fernandes, as the home side searched for an equaliser.
Their persistence paid off in the 44th minute when Youri Tielemans scored against his former club. The Belgian midfielder finished Noussair Mazraoui’s cross to bring United level at 2-2 heading into half-time.
However, United suffered another setback during the break when Harry Maguire was forced off with an apparent injury. Ayden Heaven replaced the experienced defender for the second half.
Villa regained the lead in the 48th minute after Diogo Dalot brought down Alysson inside the penalty area. McGinn took responsibility and converted the resulting penalty to make it 3-2.
The visitors extended their advantage in the 53rd minute following another defensive mistake from United. Leny Yoro almost turned McGinn’s free-kick into his own net with a header, forcing Lammens to make a save.
The ball came back off the goal frame before Leon Goretzka reacted quickest to score Villa’s fourth. United’s problems continued when Heaven received a yellow card in the 56th minute for stopping a Villa counterattack.
Carrick responded in the 65th minute by introducing Patrick Dorgu, Mason Mount and Shea Lacey. Tielemans, Amad Diallo and Dalot made way as United searched for a way back into the contest.
Aston Villa also made changes, with George Hemmings replacing McGinn in the 71st minute. Alysson later made way for Ross Barkley, while Ibrahim Mbaye and Joao Gomes also came on during the closing stages.
United refused to give up and finally reduced the deficit in the 92nd minute when substitute Joshua Zirkzee found the net to make it 4-3. The comeback was completed four minutes later when Dorgu headed home from a corner in the 96th minute.
The ball went beyond Suzuki, who failed to deal with the delivery, sending Old Trafford into celebration. There was further drama after the equaliser, with the referee sending off a member of Villa’s technical staff before bringing the match to an end.
The encounter finished with Michael Carrick and his Manchester United players earning one important point after coming back to draw Aston Villa 4-4 after 90 minutes of action played at Old Trafford Stadium.
The 4-4 result leaves United in 18th position, while Villa move up to 10th in the Premier League table. United will take encouragement from their fighting spirit, but Carrick must find a solution to the defensive errors that nearly cost his team another defeat.
Villa, meanwhile, will be disappointed after surrendering a two-goal advantage so late in the game. However, both teams will look at the situation as something that could have also gone worst for them.
At the end both Manchester United and Aston Villa will take so much lesson from the encounter which they would hope yo avoid some mistakes when the League football resumes weeks later with the international break set to commence from tomorrow.
