Dorgu rescues late point for Man Utd, but relegation zone weighs heavily

Manchester United defender Patrick Dorgu said he could take little satisfaction from his dramatic equaliser in Sunday's chaotic 4-4 home draw with Aston Villa. Dorgu headed home a corner in the sixth minute of added time, moments after Joshua Zirkzee had struck to level the game. Despite the late rescue, Michael Carrick's side remain stranded inside the relegation zone as the Premier League pauses for the international break.

A comeback that changes little

United twice erased two-goal deficits at Old Trafford, becoming the first Premier League side to do so twice in one match. The hosts had dropped into the bottom three after Nottingham Forest beat Manchester City on Saturday, and the draw leaves them one point short of safety.

Villa made a bright start, leading 2-0 inside four minutes. Alysson beat Senne Lammens, and Nicolas Jackson converted a rebound. Bruno Fernandes pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 16th minute after Boubacar Kamara fouled Matheus Cunha. Youri Tielemans, the former Villa midfielder, then equalised in the 44th minute from Noussair Mazraoui's cutback.

Villa regained the lead after half-time. John McGinn scored from the penalty spot in the 48th minute after Diogo Dalot fouled Alysson, and Leon Goretzka prodded home in the 53rd minute after Leny Yoro and Lammens failed to clear a free-kick.

Dorgu: 'I don't feel happy'

Dorgu was frustrated at the final whistle. "I don't feel happy - we are in a bad situation," he said. "We need to fight together to get out of it. A draw is better than a loss, but we had the better opportunities. Everyone needs to look at themselves and ask if they are doing enough."

He added that the position hurts. "Of course it hurts to be in the relegation zone. There's a lot of games and we need everyone to come back sharp from the international break and start getting wins."

Carrick praised the defender's impact from the bench. "It's good to have him and we've been careful with how we use him. He came on and made a difference," the manager said. "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."

Defensive problems remain

United covered 120.8km, their most under Carrick in 2026, as they recovered from two goals down for the third time in a week, following Tuesday's win over Roma. Their energy was not enough to hide defensive lapses that have cost them repeatedly.

Villa, for their part, missed the chance to climb to eighth after surrendering their late cushion. Both clubs now enter a two-week break with frustrations to address. When domestic action resumes, pressure will remain on Carrick to fix his side's defending, and United must turn their spirited comebacks into wins if they are to escape the bottom three.