Philippe Coutinho scored a late goal to help Aston Villa secure a comeback draw against Man United at Villa Park.
Aston Villa 2-2 Man Utd.
Man Utd’s performance only yielded one Premier League point at Villa Park on Saturday evening.
Bruno Fernandes said it is not about “deserving results but getting the results” that will help Manchester United’s quest to secure a top four spot this season.
Steven Gerrard's Villans fought back from two goals down to draw their Premier League clash with United on Sunday.
Brazil international Coutinho, who joined Villa on loan from FC Barcelona a few days ago, was just about to be handed his debut by the Villa boss Gerrard midway through the second half when Fernandes fired in his second goal of the game.
The Portuguese midfielder Fernandes had already opened the scoring just after five minutes and went on to put in a brilliant performance before hammering home his second.
It looked like it would be a win for the visitors but Villa stepped up a notch as Coutinho came on and proved the catalyst for an unforgettable response.
Coutinho attacked the United defence and helped create some confusion which enabled Jacob Ramsey to exploit the resulting space and make it 2-1.
Then Coutinho found the equaliser eight minutes from time by tapping home from close range when Ramsey provided an excellent cross from the left wing. The goal brought celebrations at both ends of the pitch as goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez went into the crowd in relief because of his horrible howler that allowed Fernandes to score the opener.
Fernandes: 'Performance better than the result'
"We got into the perfect position to score more goals and take the third goal and finish the game, but we don’t get our chance on the counters and gave the chances to them,” Fernandes told Sky Sports. “They have good players up front and draw the game, it is tough to take because I think the game was under control. "After our first goal they began to press us more, but still we had our chances and could have scored again. The shot was not good, the pass was not good and you start losing confidence, the game got bigger and they got more space between the lines, with the quality of players they have up front, they hurt you. "The performance was better than the result, more controlled but the main point is winning games and points. We deserved more, but its not about deserving it is about getting points. We still have a lot to improve but it is about performance and results together."
Bruno Fernandes’ game by numbers vs Aston Villa:
84% pass accuracy
67 touches
8 ball recoveries
6 attempted long balls
4 successful long balls
3 tackles won
2 shots
2 goals
1 chance created.
United boss Ralf Rangnick said the result felt like a defeat especially after how brilliant they were in the first half.
"It is very difficult to find positives after these 95 minutes,’ the Bavarian said. “I felt it was the best game since I came here, in the first half for 30 minutes we dominated the game. We had taken some steps forward but have a few things to do better.
"The plan was to press them in the midzone and we did that very well in the first 30 minutes, and control the ball, and those were the positives. When you are 2-0 up you have to defend better than we did in the last 15 minutes.
"We gave away too many balls at times in the last 15 minutes, we were not as compact as before and conceded the two goals. In the last 15 minutes before halftime we were not as courageous to step up, it was better in the second half and then you have to take the three points home. It feels like a defeat, to be honest.
"Right now is very disappointing but what we showed was a step forward but it is about getting the results, it feels like two points lost and given away."
Rangnick also admitted that he was pleased with Anthony Elanga’s performance, especially on the flanks.
The 19-year-old started only his third Premier League match and his first of the 2021/22 season so far.
"He had a good game [and] showed exactly those things that I expected him to show and why I decided to play him from the start," Ralf told MUTV.
"He not only worked hard defensively but had two or three good, if not great, opportunities to score himself. He confirmed his nomination from the beginning."
Follow Think Football Ideas across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Comments