Full Time
Manchester United 4-4 Aston Villa at Old Trafford, and United needed two goals in stoppage time to get there. Villa were 2-0 up inside four minutes through Alysson and Nicolas Jackson, Bruno Fernandes pulled one back from the penalty spot and Youri Tielemans, a former Villa man, levelled before the break. John McGinn's penalty and a scrambled Leon Goretzka goal made it 4-2 to Villa, and that looked like that until Joshua Zirkzee scored in the 92nd minute and Patrick Dorgu headed in a corner in the 96th. United had 26 shots to Villa's 12 and still very nearly lost, which tells you plenty about how their defending is going. One point leaves United still in the relegation zone after Matchweek 10, while Villa, who really will feel they threw it away, edge into the top half.
Pre-match Talking Points
-
1Manchester United are 19th with 7 points from nine games and one win all season. Yes, that Manchester United. Win and they climb to 10 points and out of the bottom three; lose and the mood at Old Trafford gets properly grim. Aston Villa are 9th on 12 points, bunched up with half the table, so a win takes them to 15 and level with Liverpool as things stand. Table positions can shift over the weekend, but the gap between these two is not huge.
-
2United have had the better of this fixture at Old Trafford lately. They beat Villa there in Matchweek 30 last season, and Villa have not had much joy at that ground over the years. Villa fans will tell you that history means nothing. United fans will tell you it means everything. Both are, as usual, partly right.
-
3Benjamin Sesko is the one to watch. United paid a lot of money for him as their big striker, and so far he has been asked to lead the line for a side that has scored just 10 goals in nine games. If he scores, the mood lifts. If he doesn't, expect an awful lot of people to ask why. Worth remembering when someone at the pub says United have 'no goals in them'.
-
4The subplot is Michael Carrick. He took over from Ruben Amorim, who was sacked in January, and he is now managing a team sitting 19th. Nobody at United has much patience at the best of times. One more bad result and the 'is it time for another change?' chat starts. Villa boss Unai Emery, meanwhile, will be quietly pleased not to be anyone's problem this weekend.
-
5The hook: last March these two were level on points in a scrap for Champions League places. Now one is 19th and the other is mid-table. United have one win in nine, which is not supposed to happen to a club that size. A home win is a recovery story. A Villa win is a crisis story, and everyone gets to pick their favourite.
Team Talking Points
-
1The big news is that Michael Carrick looks to be on his way out. On Thursday morning Sky Sports reported that United have a verbal agreement in principle with Mauricio Pochettino to take over. Carrick took training on Wednesday and is officially still in charge, but he's expected to go before the weekend.
-
2There's a catch. Pochettino is currently managing the USA national team and has a reported £7m release clause, so United still have to agree a deal with US Soccer. He's expected to take charge of the USA's two games against Haiti this break first. It's a slightly awkward way to hand in your notice.
-
3If it happens, Pochettino would be United's eighth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired 13 years ago. United have also talked to him on three earlier occasions. Mention that and a fan will either laugh or stare into the middle distance.
-
4The reason is the league table. United go into the international break in the bottom three. Their last game was a mad 4-4 draw with Aston Villa at Old Trafford, where they came back from 2-0 and 4-2 down with two stoppage-time goals. Brilliant entertainment, still in the relegation zone.
-
5Whoever is in the dugout, the return fixture is a nasty one: Liverpool away on Sunday 22 November. After that come Sporting in the Champions League and Brentford at home. A new manager will barely have time to learn the names of the training ground staff.
🍺
Top thing to say down the pub
Eighth permanent manager since Fergie, if Pochettino signs. At this point Old Trafford needs a revolving door, not a dugout.
🚫
Avoid saying
"Carrick just needs more time." Fans who were saying that a month ago have mostly moved on to arguing about Pochettino's release clause. You'll sound like you're reading last month's paper.
-
1Villa's last game was one of the maddest of the season: they led Manchester United 4-2 at Old Trafford with the clock deep into stoppage time and still only drew 4-4, after United scored twice in added time. It's the kind of result that feels like a defeat even though it technically isn't.
-
2Unai Emery walked down the touchline towards the tunnel before the final whistle after a quick handshake with Michael Carrick, and then had to defend it afterwards. He admitted he thought the game was over when United equalised. Mentioning the early exit is a safe bet for a knowing grimace.
-
3Villa go into the international break 10th with 13 points from 10 games – three wins, four draws, three defeats. Since beating Manchester City they've failed to beat Bournemouth, Fulham, Barcelona or United and leaked 11 goals in that run. Emery's message is 'keep working on the defending', which is putting it mildly.
-
4Emery himself is still focusing on the positives – he points to three wins and three draws in recent matches – but the question being asked around Villa Park is whether the team has stalled after several years of steady progress under him. Ask a Villa fan whether this is a blip or a ceiling and stand well back.
-
5The good news: the table is tight. Villa are only five points off fifth-placed Chelsea, so a decent run after the break would change the mood completely. The bad news is that defending a two-goal lead for six minutes is apparently the hard part.
🍺
Top thing to say down the pub
4-2 up at Old Trafford in stoppage time and Emery's already heading for the tunnel – and it still ends 4-4. That one's going to sting all international break.
🚫
Avoid saying
"At least it's a point away at United" – technically true, emotionally inaccurate. Villa fans see it as two points chucked away, and you'll be the only person in the room calling it a good result.