Manchester United played out a thrilling 4-4 Premier League draw against Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday.
The Red Devils made the worst possible start against the Villans yesterday, conceding twice within the opening five minutes. They managed to reduce the deficit from the penalty spot through Bruno Fernandes before Youri Tielemans equalised prior to the break.
However, all the hard work was undone after the interval. John McGinn (penalty) and Leon Goretzka capitalised on defensive errors to put Villa 4-2 ahead. United looked destined for a defeat before a late comeback in stoppage time to share the spoils.
Patrick Dorgu was a big difference-maker for the Red Devils. The Dane made his comeback from a hamstring injury in the 66th minute for Diogo Dalot at left-back and provided a sublime assist across goal for Joshua Zirkzee to make it 3-4 for the Red Devils.
In the closing seconds, Dorgu pounced on a goalkeeping lapse from Zion Suzuki to head home a dramatic equaliser from a corner. It was a memorable return for the versatile left-back, and he expressed his delight on Instagram shortly after the game.
He wrote: “We stay United. Happy to be back on the pitch, all glory to God.”
There wasn’t any notable reaction from his teammates, obviously due to the stalemate, but one Liverpool star was definitely impressed. Right-back Jeremie Frimpong commented with ‘comeback’ and a heart emoji to appreciate Dorgu’s impressive showing.
Here is a screenshot
Dorgu had a sensational cameo after a lengthy injury lay-off. The 22-year-old won 100 percent of his duels (5/5) and also made three recoveries and a solitary tackle.
He provided a couple of crosses into the box, one of which led to Zirkzee’s goal. The £25 million signing capped his performance with a fine header to make it 4-4 on the day.
Dorgu was not named in the Denmark squad for the upcoming Nations League matches, and the break offers him the opportunity to build his fitness for the season’s resumption.
United have a huge derby against Liverpool at Anfield later this month. Based on yesterday’s display, Dorgu should be a front-runner to start at left-back on Merseyside.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com