Manchester United produced another night of chaos at Old Trafford, recovering from a two-goal deficit inside the opening four minutes and then scoring twice in stoppage time to snatch a dramatic 4-4 draw against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.Substitutes Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu came to the rescue with late goals after United had looked destined for another damaging defeat. But the spirited comeback did little to disguise the club’s mounting problems, with Michael Carrick’s side heading into the international break still languishing in the relegation zone.United remain 18th in the standings with just one win from 10 league matches, extending their winless run in the competition to eight games. The result also came against the backdrop of renewed protests by supporters against the club’s ownership.
United fight back, but Carrick remains under pressure
The visitors stunned Old Trafford by scoring twice inside the first four minutes through Alysson and Nicolas Jackson, leaving United with another mountain to climb after their midweek Champions League comeback against Roma.Bruno Fernandes converted a penalty before Youri Tielemans restored parity ahead of the break, raising hopes of a turnaround.However, Villa regained control in the second half, with John McGinn converting a penalty and Leon Goretzka adding another goal to put the visitors 4-2 ahead.United appeared beaten until Zirkzee pulled one back before Dorgu headed home from a corner in the sixth minute of added time to complete an extraordinary escape.The comeback, however, has not eased the uncertainty surrounding Carrick’s future. United have not won a league match since August 30, and their start to the campaign is already their worst since the 1986-87 season.Carrick insisted he had no intention of walking away despite the difficult circumstances.“That’s not going to happen,” he said, adding that the team needed to tighten up on mistakes and start winning football matches.With the international break providing an opportunity for the club’s hierarchy to assess the situation, speculation over Carrick’s position is likely to continue ahead of United’s next league fixture against fierce rivals Liverpool on November 22.
Brighton surge to second as Liverpool bounce back
While United remained stuck in trouble, Brighton continued their impressive campaign by moving up to second in the standings with a 2-0 victory over Brentford.Goals from Diego Gomez and Pascal Gross secured a seventh win in 10 matches for Fabian Hurzeler’s side, which now sit five points behind leaders and defending champions Arsenal.Liverpool also returned to winning ways, beating Crystal Palace 3-1 at Selhurst Park after consecutive defeats in the Premier League and Champions League.Alexis Mac Allister, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak found the net for Liverpool, while Eddie Nketiah scored a stoppage-time penalty for Palace. The defeat leaves Palace bottom of the table, increasing the pressure on coach Pierre Sage.Chelsea, meanwhile, suffered a surprise 0-1 defeat against relegation-threatened Sunderland. Enzo Le Fee converted a first-half penalty at the Stadium of Light to hand Sunderland three valuable points and leave Chelsea fifth. Liverpool climbed to fourth.Bournemouth also strengthened their position in the top half with a 2-1 win away at Ipswich. Evanilson opened the scoring with his seventh goal in eight games before a Leif Davis own goal doubled the visitors’ advantage. Jack Clarke converted a second-half penalty for Ipswich, but Bournemouth held on to move seventh.