A RIGHT CARRI ON! - Man Utd finally show fight in Aston Villa thriller but Carrick's fate left in the balance with Red Devils in drop zone

Manchester United staged a dramatic late fightback to salvage a point against Aston Villa in a thrilling 4-4 draw despite defensive collapses at the start of both halves, with the result still likely to leave Michael Carrick's position hanging in the balance.

United had slipped into the relegation zone before a ball had even been kicked courtesy of Nottingham Forest's victory over Manchester City on Saturday evening and their fortunes did not improve once they took to the field, instead worsening instantly.

Alysson required less than 60 seconds to slot the ball through Senne Lammens legs to leave Old Trafford shellshocked. The stunned silence that filled the air swiftly turned to anger as Nicolas Jackson doubled Villa's lead just two minutes later after Lammens palmed the ball into his path, condemning Manchester United to the worst possible start.

With the fans' anger ringing in their ears, United dragged themselves back off the canvas after that devastating one-two to hit back, first from the penalty spot after Glen Kamara wiped out Matheus Cunha. Bruno Fernandes, so often United's saviour in years gone by, made no mistake from the spot.

The comeback was complete just before half-time when Youri Tielemans netted against his old club, but United imploded spectacularly once again after the break. First, Diogo Dalot lost all leave of his senses to give away a needless penalty which John McGinn converted with aplomb.

Another episode of calamity saw Villa restore their two goal advantage with Leon Goretzka tapping home after shoddy defending.

It didn't feel like there would be any way back for United this time. But they fought back once more with Joshua Zirkzee netting in the 92nd minute to spark a late barrage which resulted in a last-gasp goal from Patrick Dorgu.

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UNITED FINALLY SHOW FIGHT

Just when you think things can't get any worse for Manchester United, Aston Villa go and stick two goals past Lammens inside four minutes to turn Old Trafford toxic. It certainly wasn't the start United or Michael Carrick would have envisaged, but it did, at least, trigger a response from their struggling stars.

Kamara didn't need to scythe down Cunha to gift United a route back into the game via the penalty spot. But they did, finally, show some fight to haul themselves back into the game - only to then throw that away with another unforgivable start to the second half.

United have now shipped 30 goals in all competitions - the joint worst in Europe's top five leagues - and started the game languishing in 19th place in the Premier League. But they rallied to snatch a point at the death.

CARRICK'S FATE IN THE BALANCE

For a long time, this felt like the point of no return for Manchester United's beleaguered head coach. And in truth, even United's rousing late fightback may not be enough to save his job.

Carrick should not be the only figure to pay for United's plight, but it's hard to lay out a case for him staying in his post with his team just one point away from propping up the table. He and his staff looked utterly bewildered on the bench following Villa's early goals, as did Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox in the stands.

One thing that is clear after Sunday's game is that the players are still playing for him. Fightback or not, though, it's still been a ludicrous start to the season - just one league win in 10 - and while Carrick is not the root of United's problems, he is not the solution, either.

EMERY'S OLD TRAFFORD ANGER

If Manchester United do spend the international break shopping for a new manager, you wonder whether they will cast their eye in the direction of Unai Emery.

A combination of the gargantuan compensation fee it would take to prise him away from Villa Park - said to be around £20million - and United's sorry plight probably makes that a rather unrealistic prospect just now. And while that may be bad news for United, it's great news for Villa, who are looking upwardly mobile under the Spaniard after a transitional summer.

But an irate Emery let his anger get the better off him in the final seconds, storming off following United's late leveller after it was allowed to stand.

POST-MATCH SCENES SPEAK VOLUMES

Once the euphoria had died down, the pictures at the final whistle best told the story.

On the 40th anniversary of Sir Alex Ferguson's appointment, United may have struck in Fergie time to salvage a point but you wouldn't have guessed it from the players' faces.

The mood was sombre given this result was still not the tonic United or Carrick needed heading into the international break, which will only bring further scrutiny with United in the relegation zone.