"It feels like a defeat" - Rangnick reacts to Manchester United's 2-2 draw against Aston Villa
Aston Villa and Manchester United played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at Villa park. The Red Devils took an early lead when Emi Martinez made a horrendous error to let Bruno Fernandes' long-range shot squirm through.
Villa started the second half brightly, but an underhit back pass from Morgan Sanson saw Fred set up Bruno Fernandes who finished beautifully to give Manchester United a 2-0 lead.
In-game management from Rangnick was dreadful. Should've made a change sooner, Sancho was the wrong man to come on and then still no second sub until it was effectively too late. #mufc go around in circles with the midfield; whatever the partnership, it is unsustainable.
Steven Gerrard then sent on Philippe Coutinho, who had a dream debut. Coutinho was heavily involved in Jacob Ramsey's first goal and then grabbed the equalizer himself in the 81st minute to grab a crucial point for Aston Villa.
Speaking after the game, Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick was clearly disappointed. The German tactician said:
"Yes extremely [disappointed]. Very difficult to find positives after 95 minutes.
"We had spells where it was the best game we've had since I came. Could have scored 2 or 3 goals in the first half. Taken some steps forward. Quite a few things to improve and do better.
"Plan was to press them in mid zone area. Did it very well in the first 30 minutes. But it became difficult to defend against them all the time."
When asked about what went wrong in the second half, the Manchester United manager said:
"We gave away too many balls. In the last 15 minutes we were not as compact as before. Not as compact and not as courageous to attack forward. It feels like a defeat to be honest."
Steven Gerrard thrilled with Aston Villa's comeback against Manchester United
Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard was thrilled with his side's comeback after an abject first-half display. Acknowledging that his team played poorly in the opening 45 minutes, Gerrard said:
"We were very positive. We fancied it today. We didn't start the game in the right place. We were second best for the first 25 minutes and deserved to be trailing at the break.
"I had to let the squad know a few home truths at half-time. We didn't feel sorry for ourselves when the second goal went in and finished as the stronger team.
"We kept on winning duels, being on the front foot and being positive. The two goals we scored were fantastic."
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The 2-2 draw leaves Manchester United in seventh place in the Premier League table. They are 5 points behind fourth-placed West Ham United with a game in hand.