Manchester United v Aston Villa FC - Premier League 2026/27
Photo by Zohaib Alam/Manchester United via Getty Images
Manchester United’s players are still not getting the right results – but their work rate can no longer be questioned.
With no Premier League wins since August, Manchester United began November with a dramatic 4-4 draw at home to Aston Villa.
United had to recover from 2-0 down and 4-2 down to claim a point, with Patrick Dorgu scoring an equaliser in the seventh minute of stoppage time.
Running stats vs Aston Villa
Manchester United’s work rate has been heavily criticised over the course of the season, with running statistics showing how the team ranked among the lowest in the Premier League.
Data from the 4-4 draw against Aston Villa showed there is some serious improvement.
According to Opta: “Manchester United covered 120.8km in their game against Aston Villa, their most in a Premier League match under Michael Carrick in 2026.”
These figures are across Carrick’s spell from January to now, and demonstrate that the players are fighting for the head coach to stay.
They are perhaps very aware that the spotlight is on their own efforts too, with United refusing to sack Michael Carrick despite the team’s atrocious form.
If these running statistics are repeatable and sustained, then Michael Carrick will have solved one of the biggest problems blighting the team this season.
He at least deserves a little credit for steering the players back in the right direction.
Improvement may help Carrick hang on
Manchester United had lost successive Premier League fixtures to Bournemouth and Chelsea. It was essential to avoid a third.
The players showed fight in this game, despite the incompetent defensive moments.
Add this to United’s fightback from 2-0 down to beat Roma 3-2 in midweek, and there are small signs of a recovery.
The problem now is that United have an international break to hit pause on the season, before returning to action with an away visit to Liverpool.