Villa Opens With Two, United Fights Back

Manchester United allowed Aston Villa to score twice in under four minutes on Sunday, then rallied to tie the match 2-2 at halftime at Old Trafford.

Alysson scored the first goal for Villa by shooting through the legs of United goalkeeper Senne Lammens on the opening attack of the game. Nicolas Jackson added a second goal in the fourth minute. The timing of Jackson’s goal, at 3 minutes and 42 seconds, marked the earliest time United had been down by two goals in a Premier League match.

Fans at Old Trafford booed the team after the second goal. Supporters had already protested before kickoff, calling for the Glazer family and Jim Ratcliffe to sell the club. During the game, home fans chanted for the Glazers to leave.

United began to recover in the 16th minute when Bruno Fernandes converted a penalty. Matheus Cunha won the spot after Boubacar Kamara brought him down in the box. Youri Tielemans scored the equalizer just before halftime to make the score 2-2.

Coach Michael Carrick enters this season with questions about his job security. United began the 2026-27 season with its worst start since the 1986-87 campaign. The team entered Sunday’s match in second-to-last place in the standings, ahead of Crystal Palace only on goal difference. Their only league victory of the season came against Ipswich on Aug. 30.

Villa supporters directed chants at Carrick, singing that he would be fired the next morning. They also targeted Tielemans, noting that he used to play for a large club. United previously faced a similar early deficit against Roma in the Champions League, trailing 0-2 after 17 minutes before winning 3-2.