Manchester United produced a dramatic late comeback to draw 4-4 with Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday, scoring twice in stoppage time to salvage a point in front of angry home supporters during a torrid period for the Premier League club.
The high-stakes fixture could hardly have started worse for the hosts. Alysson put Villa ahead inside the first minute with a shot that squirmed under goalkeeper Senne Lammens, and Nicolas Jackson slotted in the second three minutes later after a weak save from Lammens pushed the ball into his path.
Bruno Fernandes pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 16th minute after Boubacar Kamara fouled Matheus Cunha, and former Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans slammed in United's equaliser in the 44th minute.
Villa struck twice more after the interval. John McGinn converted a 48th-minute penalty following a clumsy challenge by Diogo Dalot on Alysson, and Leon Goretzka poked in the visitors' fourth from close range in the 53rd minute after United defender Leny Yoro headed against his own crossbar.
Yet Joshua Zirkzee's stoppage-time finish gave United hope, and Patrick Dorgu headed a dramatic equaliser in the final seconds after a weak punch from Villa keeper Zion Suzuki, with six minutes of additional time played.
The 13-time Premier League champions remain 18th in the table with eight points from 10 games, still inside the relegation zone. Carrick, who was seconds away from a fifth defeat that would surely have led to his dismissal, had earned a stay of execution when the club's hierarchy kept him in charge despite last weekend's loss at Chelsea. United responded by ending a nine-match winless run in all competitions, coming from two goals down to beat Roma 3-2 in the Champions League on Tuesday, but the team has only three wins in 15 games this season. Carrick wore a bewildered look as he walked down the tunnel, with United next in action at Liverpool on November 22.
Elsewhere, fifth-placed Chelsea suffered an embarrassing defeat away to third-bottom Sunderland, who celebrated a league victory for only the second time this season. Enzo Le Fee converted a 36th-minute penalty after Levi Colwill up-ended Brian Brobbey, inflicting a fourth defeat in 10 league matches on Chelsea under former Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso. "We were not creating enough chances in the final third against the low block. We were not controlling and sustaining the attack there," Alonso said.
Liverpool returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory at lowly Crystal Palace. Alexis Mac Allister headed the opener from Dominik Szoboszlai's cross after 40 minutes, Florian Wirtz added a composed second from Bradley Barcola's cross in the 54th minute, and Alexander Isak finished off a pass from Wirtz in the 89th minute to wrap up a much-needed win for fourth-placed Liverpool after defeats by Arsenal and Fenerbahce.
"It was an important win for us going into the international break after the week we've had," said Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola, who had faced pointed questions in his first season in charge since arriving from Bournemouth. Eddie Nketiah's stoppage-time penalty, awarded for a foul by Milos Kerkez, proved no consolation for Palace.
