Man Utd produced two stunning comebacks in the same game to salvage a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa at Old Trafford.
Manchester United produced a stunning comeback to earn a draw against Aston Villa
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As Old Trafford lost its collective heads at another mind-bending Manchester United comeback, Michael Carrick just lifted one figure into the air. It was classic Carrick. A third rescue act in two games that has saved his skin once again, but he looked like he'd just won the raffle at his local social club.
Heaven only knows what he was feeling internally. It felt like he was five minutes from the sack here, having been on the brink for weeks, but again he found a way out. David Blaine's got nothing on this guy.
Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada have watched a crisis unfold before them twice this week but they have now surely been saved from a decision that would only make their own positions untenable.
There is an argument that they should pull the pin on Carrick anyway. What has happened this week is unsustainable; this is a team surviving on emotion and embracing the chaos theory. That won't work over a nine-month season.
But the Old Trafford faithful have made it clear where they think the blame lies for the shambolic state of this football club, and it isn't at the feet of Carrick, who was serenaded once again during and after the game.
There is no doubt that Sir Jim Ratcliffe thought turning United around would be a hell of a lot easier than this. He was barracked and abused in his absence once again, as were the Glazers, and supporters again made it clear they want nothing to do with a new stadium.
Who can blame them when this one can deliver weeks like this? The problem is that, for all the players are still fighting for Carrick, the flaws remain evident, and although it isn't all on the head coach, he needs to show more as well.
This was the fifth game since United drew 1-1 at Leeds and Carrick declared it a "fresh start" after the game. They have conceded 15 goals since then and although two miraculous comebacks mean he will almost certainly survive the international break, it still feels like this is a team going nowhere.
United are more than a quarter into the Premier League season and find themselves mired in a relegation battle. They are clinging on, just as their manager is. They have played well in patches this week, but the ability to concede goals in quick succession is a sign of a team lacking backbone and mental fortitude.
Do they have the backbone for a relegation fight? This isn't what they signed up for and they need to show more than a couple of Houdini acts. Carrick is also still unexposed at this level and isn't currently showing he has a clear idea of how to get United out of this mess.
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The humiliation began before kick-off this weekend. On Saturday night, the sight of Manchester City losing for a third Premier League game in a row was tempered by the fact that the result meant United dropped into the relegation zone.
Then on Sunday there was a three-minute spell when they went bottom in the live table. In the end, they had Liverpool to thank for keeping them 19th at kick-off, a fact that won't get much appreciation around Old Trafford.
That meant that only a nine-goal defeat would have sent United bottom during the international break. After four minutes, that looked like it might be on the cards.
There were only 60 seconds on the clock when Alysson beat a tame Diogo Dalot to John McGinn's pass and his snap-shot squirmed under Senne Lammens. After three minutes and 40 seconds, it was 2-0, Lammens spilling an Alysson shot and Nicolas Jackson being granted the freedom of the six-yard box to tap home.
Old Trafford was mutinous once again at this point. Green and gold balloons again bounced around the Stretford End and the only banners on show pre-match were directing anger at the owners.
But just as they had done against Roma, United started playing two goals down. Matheus Cunha won a penalty that Bruno Fernandes converted and United produced their best attacking spell in the Premier League since beating Ipswich at the end of August.
Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo and Amad all had shots deflected narrowly wide and Zion Suzuki made saves from Cunha and Amad, who should have done better when the ball was laid on a plate to him by Youri Tielemans.
Dorgu rescued United
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The former Villa man took matters into his own hands on the stroke of half-time, slamming a left-footed shot beyond Suzuki from the edge of the box after good work by Noussair Mazraoui to draw United level.
Old Trafford was raucous now, but having done the hard work, United produced an astonishing act of self-sabotage right after half-time. First, the abysmal Dalot brought Alysson down with a lazy tackle, with McGinn netting the penalty, before Leny Yoro headed against his own crossbar and Leon Goretzka pounced on the rebound.
Having conceded twice in the first four minutes of the first half, they had conceded twice in the first eight minutes of the second half and for the third time this group of players find themselves on the ropes.
They threw enough haymakers to get themselves back into it on the previous two occasions but for a while they looked all punched out. The game was drifting until Joshua Zirkzee scored in the 92nd minute, before Patrick Dorgu got Carrick's finger wagging four minutes later.
Now he should be able to enjoy two weeks without tongues wagging about potential replacements.
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