Manchester United

Man Utd starting XI:

Senne Lammens: One of Man Utd's best performers this season but a calamitous start to this one. First goal went straight through him and he spilled a shot straight from Nicolas Jackson for the second. Went wrong way for penalty too. 4

Diogo Dalot (off 66, Dorgu): Got his body in the right position to close half the goal off for the opener but was in the wrong position to make challenge on Alysson at start of second half to gift Villa a penalty. 4

Leny Yoro: Moved back into the centre, intelligently stepped up to win the ball on halfway, then spoiled good work by attempting a lofted pass when Matheus Cunha wanted it on the ground. Had a header going into his own net but led to Villa's fourth goal anyway. 5

Harry Maguire (off 46, Heaven): Managed to clear his head quickly enough to lead United's defence after their shocking start. A doubt pre-match, he went off at half-time. 5

Noussair Mazraoui: Struggled along with many others this season. Asked to push forward, which he seems to find easier for his country but not his club. 4

Youri Tielemans (off 66, Mount): Baited by the Aston Villa fans given his £35m summer move from them, but answered in the best way by driving home an equaliser for his first United goal. 6

Kobbie Mainoo: Threatened with a long-range effort and nearly picked out Amad Diallo's run with a precise chipped pass over the visitors defence. 6

Amad Diallo (off 66, Lacey): Kept his place ahead of crowd favourite Shea Lacey but one chase back into his own box showed why, defensively, it made sense. Came close to an equaliser and should have ended an 11-month wait for a goal but Zion Suzuki saved well. 6

Bruno Fernandes: For the second game running, he kept his cool to covert from the spot when the pressure was at its highest. Looked unhappy at the end despite the comeback. 7

Matheus Cunha: Driving run into the visiting box brought a crucial penalty. Curling effort was heading for the corner but turned around post by Suzuki. United's most dangerous attacker. 7

Bryan Mbeumo (off 83, Zirkzee): Did a lot of chasing in the first half to try to pressure the Villa defence into mistakes. 6

Man Utd substitutes:

Ayden Heaven (on 46, Maguire): Booked for late tackle on Alysson after being introduced at break. 6

Mason Mount (on 66, Tielemans): Hit the bar with first time shot but sliced later effort over. 6

Shea Lacey (on 66, Amad): Tried to create. 6

Patrick Dorgu (on 66 Dalot): What an ending as he changed the outcome of the game with an assist and goal. 8

Joshua Zirkzee (on 83, Mbeumo): Scored in stoppage time and goal proved crucial. 6

Subs not used: Darlow, De Ligt, Andrey Santos, J Fletcher.

Read the full article and see how you rated the players

Manchester United boss Michael Carrick, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "Making it hard for ourselves. Again, I thought a lot of the performances were very good. We made it challenging for ourselves. Mistakes that the boss knows shouldn't happen. We built our way back into the game and played well, we probably should score more than we did today. The goals are coming from individual mistakes. We need to tighten up.

"I thought we were the better team. We played some very good football and got back into the game. Two goals again put us on the back foot. In the end, we could have even won it."

What he was thinking at the end: "If we get one, then anything can happen. We never gave up and never stopped believing."

On Patrick Dorgu: "It's good to have him and we've been careful with how we use him. He came on and made a difference.

"We need to improve the position we're in, of course, we do. If we tighten up, there are a lot of things we can take forward from the last three games for sure."

Scorer of Manchester United's equaliser Patrick Dorgu speaking to Sky Sports: "I don't feel happy - we are in a bad situation. We need to fight together to get out of it. Draw better than a loss but we had the better opportunities.

"Everyone needs to look at themselves and ask if they are doing enough. We need to fight for the manager, for the club and get out of this together.

"Of course it hurts [to be in relegation zone], there's a lot of games and we need everyone to come back sharp from international break and start getting wins."

Hear more from Carrick on BBC Sounds

Did you know?

• Manchester United will end tonight 18th in the Premier League, their lowest position 10 games into a top-flight season since 1986-87, when they were 20th.

• Youri Tielemans ended a run of 34 Premier League appearances without a goal, scoring his first since May 2025 against Fulham when he was at Aston Villa.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Republic of Ireland midfielder Andy Reid on BBC Radio 5 Live: "The level of inconsistency in Manchester United's play is incredible really, at times they can look really good and carve chances and make teams look open.

"But then they can give goals away at the other end, they can be sloppy and ill-disciplined. It's difficult to know what way it's going to go but what you will say about them today is they've been resilient.

"This game has been entertaining from both teams. This is what you want to see."

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane on Sky Sports: "Manchester United fans get criticised a lot, but I think United fans are really fair supporters, I really do. They're fair with the players.

"We saw at the Bournemouth game the players were getting booed off. They gave them a round of applause here because the players gave a little bit of something back. That's the minimum you should be giving the supporters."

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Manchester United's performance

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Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Monday for a selection of your replies.

There are five games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Brighton v Brentford - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Crystal Palace v Liverpool - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Ipswich v Bournemouth - live on BBC Sport website and app

• Sunderland v Chelsea - live on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3

• Manchester United v Aston Villa (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

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There were great scenes at Old Trafford on Tuesday with Manchester United coming back from 2-0 down to beat Roma, who had to field their third-choice goalkeeper because of injuries.

That ended up being a really good result, but there are so many things about United that are just not convincing at the moment - as a club they are trying to convey this picture of togetherness and it is just not there for me.

Beating Roma was a great comeback, of course, but you still feel United are not far from another collapse, especially against an Aston Villa team who are so well structured, and capable of punishing any weakness.

Villa boss Unai Emery has been talked about as a potential successor to Michael Carrick at Old Trafford, but he is too good for United as far as I can see.

United will score, but Villa are going to win this. Nicolas Jackson will bag a couple and we might see more tears from Bruno Fernandes at the final whistle.

Sutton's prediction: 1-3

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester United will attempt to win for only the second time in the Premier League season against an Aston Villa side who lost in the Champions League on Tuesday.

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes ahead of their meeting at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Manchester United's comeback win against Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday provided some welcome respite for beleaguered manager Michael Carrick, along with some welcome fight from his players.

United responded to going two goals down in the opening 18 minutes by producing arguably their finest 45 minutes of the campaign so far in the second half, with forward Matheus Cunha capping off a 3-2 victory.

For the first time this season, they prevented their opponent from having a shot in the second half and won more duels (41) than in any other game after half-time.

The challenge for Carrick and his players alike will be to repeat that performance across 90 minutes five days later in the Premier League.

United are one of only two sides without a Premier League clean sheet this season, along with Ipswich Town, while nine matches is the longest period they have gone from the start of a top-flight campaign without recording a shutout since 1987.

The last side to finish in the top three of the top flight then fail to keep a clean sheet in their first 10 games of the following season was Liverpool 50 years ago.

Carrick's side have not won in the Premier League since beating Ipswich on 30 August – this match takes place 70 days, or 1,680 hours, after that solitary victory.

United, though, do have a good record against Aston Villa at Old Trafford. They have lost just two of the past 31 home meetings in the Premier League, most recently in 2021-22. Villa have a quick turnaround of their own following their 3-0 defeat at Barcelona on Tuesday, which was their joint-heaviest loss in major European competition.

The Champions League setback highlighted an Achilles heel of Unai Emery's side this season: they have made the most errors leading to goals in all competitions of any Premier League team, along with Sunderland.

Since beating Manchester City in October, Villa have been knocked out of the League Cup at Bournemouth, drawn with Fulham and lost at the Nou Camp, so a rare away win in this fixture would be timely.

Villa won their first Premier League match against United under Emery in November 2022, but that came at home. Emery has never won in nine career attempts at Old Trafford, losing on all five visits with Villa.

Now would be the perfect time to arrest that record as he approaches a 200th Premier League game as a manager.

The 55-year-old will become the fifth Spaniard to reach the milestone after Rafael Benitez, Roberto Martinez, Pep Guardiola, and Mikel Arteta.

Benitez and Arteta's 200th matches also came against United, and both avoided defeats.

Manchester United fan Beth Tucker says questions remain about the team's performances and identity, and that a replacement for Michael Carrick is still necessary to move forward.

"As happy as I am, we cannot allow one result [against Roma] to cloud our judgement of where this football club is right now," she said. "You have got to take the red-tinted glasses off.

"I don't suddenly think we have turned a corner tactically. I thought in and out of possession we were terrible against Roma. A lot of times it was hit and hope, and the players didn't have a clue what they were doing or how they were setting up.

"When we get to the final third we don't know what to do. That first half was dreadful.

"We were second best and all over the place defensively. Roma could have easily scored more than two. We looked like a team with absolutely no confidence and no identity.

"If we didn't have the Bruno Fernandes penalty retake it could have been massively different.

"I still want Carrick to succeed, but I do believe that Manchester United need to make a managerial change in the international break.

"If we can somehow get two wins on the bounce against Roma and Aston Villa, that is brilliant and what this club needs. Let's build positivity and let's get the confidence back into the squad - but let's give that to the next manager.

"Bring someone in who, tactically and experience-wise, can take this team to the next level."

Listen to more from Tucker above or on BBC Sounds here

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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I guess Michael Carrick couldn't say it was impossible to replicate the success his old boss Sir Alex Ferguson had at Manchester United.

Equally, it was pointless to ask for more time in the job before Sunday's Premier League game against Aston Villa.

Yet it is a basic reality that constructing something that will last is not an overnight job.

Manchester United's current first-team squad includes players bought by six managers, all with different styles. Moulding that together is not easy, still less deciding who should stay, who should go and who should come in.

It took Ferguson three and a half years to win a trophy and six and a half to win a league title. After two games, the Scot was in charge of a team occupying a relegation place, which is where Carrick's squad might be come kick-off on Sunday.

One of Carrick's strengths is his calm demeanour and detached assessment, which is why he answered the question about emulating Ferguson the way he did.

"It's not impossible," he said. "Anything's possible.

"You've got to build, you know? And you've got to be realistic and put things in perspective as well, with the recent history we've had and where we want to get to.

"But it's not going to happen in a blink of an eye. It's not going to happen overnight. Success does take time, and we don't like having to spend time, but it does take a period of time to build."

The big question is: will he get it?

George Booth
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester United boss Michael Carrick has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Aston Villa at Old Trafford (kick-off 16:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Michael Carrick confirmed Carlos Baleba will be ruled out for a "number of weeks" after suffering an injury in the 3-2 win against Roma, adding that his return will not come until after the international break.

• Full-back Patrick Dorgu is "slowly getting back" after missing seven successive games through injury, with Carrick unsure whether he will be available for the weekend.

• Carrick said United's 3-2 Champions League comeback was a "one-off" and that "nothing is achieved yet" as the club aim to build momentum.

• He added: "We scored some goals from nowhere. I thought we played really well and deserved to win the game. Nothing is done yet. It is one moment in time that we need to use to move forward. We need more of it, for sure."

• Carrick said "little moments here and there have changed games" for United in recent weeks, but the squad is "showing signs of improvement".

• He added: "When you watch the [Roma] game back in the first half it wasn't so bad. There were moments there that we left ourselves short really."

• On the Red Devils celebrating Sir Alex Ferguson's 40-year anniversary since joining the club: "It's something definitely worth celebrating as a football club, 40 years this week since he came here. I am probably closer to him, and speak more to him now, than I did when I was playing. Ever since he came here, the impact he has had on me as an individual was immense."

• The United boss said he had not seen Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's interview with a Norwegian broadcaster backing him to keep the United job, but praised his former colleague.

• He said: "I don't think actually too many people know me really. Ole is probably one of them. Ole is a fantastic man, a fantastic person and if he wants to come back into the game and get back into the game and manage, it would be great to see him back."

Hit play above to hear more from Carrick or listen on BBC Sounds here

Listen to Manchester United v Aston Villa on BBC Radio 5 Live on Sunday

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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It is 40 years since Sir Alex Ferguson was appointed Manchester United manager – and there is symmetry to where the Old Trafford outfit are right now.

Ferguson was lured south from Aberdeen to replace Ron Atkinson, who was axed after a League Cup third-round replay hammering by Southampton at the Dell.

The Scot's tenure didn't get off to the best of starts.

United were beaten 2-0 at Oxford United, then drew 0-0 at Norwich. It left them 21st in the table, one point off the bottom.

It is the last time the club has been in the relegation zone at such an advanced part of the campaign.

Given they play last in this weekend's match round, there is a pretty good chance United will be in the bottom three again when they kick-off against Aston Villa. They could even be bottom.

After that Norwich game, no-one could have imagined the success Ferguson would have.

But it took time. Three and a half years to the first trophy – the 1990 FA Cup – and three years after that for a league title, after throwing away the 1991-92 version by losing three times in a week and gifting the championship to Leeds United.

We live in very different times in terms of media landscape and reaction. Would Ferguson have been afforded the same time to sort United out if he were starting now? I doubt it.

Simon Stone
Manchester United reporter

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At half-time on Tuesday, with Manchester United two goals down and the atmosphere at Old Trafford mutinous, Michael Carrick's job prospects were not great.

But the eventual 3-2 win lifted some of the gloom and proved United's players were still playing for their boss.

There is a long road ahead, though.

United could be in the relegation zone by the time they kick off against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Carrick's men have not won successive games all season. It was around the September international break they last were unbeaten in two games.

It is not good enough. For all the explanations and caveats, Carrick understands that.

It will be interesting to hear what he says about the situation to the media when he speaks to us later. Carrick should also update around the severity of Carlos Baleba's hamstring injury.

Come back to this page later on Friday for all the key lines from Carrick's news conference.

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On this day 40 years ago, Manchester United appointed Sir Alex Ferguson.

Rene Meulensteen, who served as first team coach at the club between 2007 and 2013, says working under the Scotsman was the best time of his coaching career.

Meulensteen told BBC Radio Manchester: "It was an incredible time. It shows great leadership and great management to be able to bring a club from where they were to what he made it. He's definitely the best manager that the English game has seen.

"I was fortunate to work with him in the last seven years of his managerial career at Manchester United where I felt that he was really at the peak of his management style because he mastered the art of delegation without losing control.

"There was not a day at Carrington or at Old Trafford that we didn't laugh together. He loved to crack a joke. He could take the mickey out of us, we could take the mickey out of him. He absolutely loved it.

"It was the best time of my coaching career for sure because to work with such a talented squad with so many great players but with such a manager, that was so open and also flexible in his thinking, in terms of 'how can we evolve, still get better?' Until the last day that he retired, he had that mentality."

Listen to the full chat with Meulensteen, who also talks about Cristiano Ronaldo's international retirement, on BBC Sounds