Manchester United 4-4 Aston Villa

Aston Villa were denied all three points by late heartbreak at Old Trafford, being held to a 4-4 draw by Manchester United on Sunday. 

Despite taking 2-0 and 4-2 leads early into both halves thanks to goals from Alysson, Nicolas Jackson, John McGinn and Leon Goretzka, the Villans were pegged back late in each period by Bruno Fernandes and Youri Tielemans, and then Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu.

Unai Emery’s men held a 4-2 advantage heading into second-half stoppage time on the day the Villa boss took charge of his 200th Premier League game, though late goals from Zirkzee and Dorgu – the latter coming in the 96th minute – saw the spoils shared in dramatic fashion.

Emery made three changes to his side which was beaten in Barcelona on Tuesday. Taylor Harwood-Bellis came in for his first Premier League start in claret and blue at right-back, in place of the suspended Matty Cash, while Goretzka and Alysson replaced João Gomes and Emi Buendía, as Ian Maatsen hit a century of Villa appearances.

And it was a dream start for the visitors, as they found themselves two goals to the good inside the opening four minutes. First, with just 60 seconds on the clock, Jackson had shifted the ball onto McGinn who in turn found Alysson, the Brazilian nutmegging Senne Lammens in the United net with a first-time finish to score his first goal for the club.

Less than three minutes later, things had got even better for Emery’s charges, as Lammens could only block Alysson’s effort out to the feet of Jackson, who having beaten the offside trap, had the simple task of tapping into the gaping net from point-blank range for his ninth of the season. 

The travelling Villans at Old Trafford had been sent into dreamland, and the hosts looked a little shellshocked. Still, they immediately looked for a route back into the game, with Fernandes dragging an effort narrowly wide from the edge of the area 10 minutes in.

The United captain would, however, be presented with an opportunity to bring his side back to within a goal three minutes later, as Matheus Cunha was brought to ground inside the penalty area by Boubacar Kamara, and referee Chris Kavanagh pointed to the spot.

Fernandes stepped up and calmly sent Zion Suzuki the wrong way to halve the deficit – a goal which buoyed the hosts and their supporters, setting the tone for the remainder of the opening period.

The home side were very much in the ascendancy, and midway through the opening period, Villa needed Suzuki to sprawl across his line to impressively claw out a curling effort from Cunha which looked destined for the far corner, before Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo tested the Japanese international with deflected efforts.

It seemed as though it would only be a matter of time before the equaliser came, and after another strong hand from Suzuki to deny Amad, the hosts finally pulled level on the stroke of half-time when Noussair Mazraoui pulled back for Tielemans to steer a shot home and restore parity at the half.

The Villans weren’t back level for long, though, and needed just three minutes of the second period to reclaim the lead. Alysson was brought to ground inside the area by Diogo Dalot, and Kavanagh again pointed to the spot.

McGinn stepped up and confidently sent Lammens the wrong way from 12 yards to restore his side’s advantage.

And, just five minutes later, things would get better still for the Villans, as their two-goal lead was back, netting twice in the opening eight minutes of the second period, following their electric start to the first.

McGinn swung a free-kick to the back post which Leny Yoro headed against his own crossbar. Jackson was first to the rebound, guiding the ball into the path of Goretzka who hammered home his first goal for the club from close range.

And, much like in the first period, United looked for a reaction. With just over an hour played, a free-kick was played short to Cunha on the edge of the area, who sent a deflected effort bobbling narrowly wide.

Michael Carrick’s men continued to come forward, backed by reinforcements from the substitute’s bench, with Bryan Mbuemo drilling an effort into the side-netting and Cunha hitting a shot at Suzuki moments later.

The hosts were still looking for a route back, with Mason Mount rattling the crossbar in the closing stages before fellow substitute Joshua Zirkzee steered home in stoppage time to set up a grandstand finish. Dorgu then nodded home from a corner six minutes into stoppage time to break Villa hearts and steal a share of the points. 

The visitors' sixth league game unbeaten takes them to 10th in the table heading into the November international break, with Emery’s men returning on Saturday, November 21 at home to Sunderland (ko 3pm).