Man Utd salvage 4-4 Villa draw to give Carrick hope

Manchester United twice came from two goals down to salvage a remarkable 4-4 draw against Aston Villa on Sunday and potentially save manager Michael Carrick's job. Goals in stoppage time from Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu rescued a point, but United will spend a two-week international break in the relegation zone. Carrick's men conceded twice inside the opening four minutes as Alysson and Nicolas Jackson punished errors from goalkeeper Senne Lammens. The Red Devils rallied to level at half-time thanks to a Bruno Fernandes penalty and Youri Tielemans's first goal since moving to Old Trafford from Villa. A thrilling fightback from 2-0 down to beat Roma 3-2 in the Champions League on Tuesday gave Carrick a lifeline. This time the comeback fell short as more woeful defending handed Villa two more goals inside the first eight minutes of the second period. John McGinn converted from the spot after Diogo Dalot upended Alysson before Leon Goretzka bundled in from close range. Yet, there was a final twist in the tale as Zirkzee steered home before Dorgu pounced when Villa goalkeeper Zion Suzuki failed to connect with a corner in the 96th minute. - 'We want new owners' -   Carrick was handed a stay of execution after a 3-0 home drubbing by Bournemouth a fortnight ago. However, he faces an anxious wait to see if the United board install a replacement before a daunting trip to Liverpool on November 22. Former Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe and ex-Bayern Munich and Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann are among the leading contenders to take charge if Carrick is dismissed. Saturday's results saw United slip into the relegation zone after August for the first time in 40 years. A draw keeps them in the bottom three with just eight points from 10 games. For the first time in Premier League history they found themselves 2-0 down inside four minutes, in large part due to goalkeeper Lammens. The Belgian allowed Alysson's strike to slip between his legs with just one minute on the clock. From another tame Alysson effort less than three minutes later, Lammens could only parry and present Nicolas Jackson with a gift for his sixth goal in his last six league games. The United fans had again turned their ire towards the club's owners pre-match. A banner read: "We don't want a new stadium, we want new owners," as protests towards a move away from Old Trafford gather steam. That anger was directed towards the players in cries of "you're not fit to wear the shirt" in the wake of the second Villa goal. Yet, the shock of going behind summoned a response as United again found their feet at 2-0 down. Just as against Roma, the fightback was started by Matheus Cunha winning a penalty, converted by Fernandes. Boubacar Kamara dived in rashly to clip Cunha before getting a touch on the ball and Fernandes coolly sat down Suzuki to slot home the spot-kick. United built momentum before levelling just before the break when Tielemans drilled low beyond Suzuki, with the aid of a deflection. What should have been the launching pad for another stirring fightback quickly fell flat at the start of the second half. Dalot dived in foolishly to trip Alysson and McGinn made amends for missing from the spot in last weekend's 1-1 draw against Fulham. Moments later Leny Yoro headed a McGinn free-kick off his own crossbar and Goretzka forced the ball over the line in the goalmouth scramble that ensued. The closing stages were played out to the tune of more protests against United's unpopular American owners, the Glazer family, until the home side hauled themselves off the canvas again. Zirkzee's cool finish reawakened the crowd and left Villa clinging on. Much to the frustration of Unai Emery, his side could not resist the late assault as Suzuki flapped at Fernandes's corner and Dorgu accepted the gift. kca/td