Injury time blow ends Man United’s win-streak in 2-2 Aston Villa draw

Manchester United had a horrible afternoon in more ways than one. The Red Devils played their final pre-season encounter in Australia on a flooded ground and came away with a disheartening 2-2 tie.

Erik ten Hag’s team entered the game in good form, having beaten Liverpool, Melbourne Victory, and Crystal Palace, and had intended to complete the set against Aston Villa.

The Red Devils appeared to be on track to achieve their aim in the first half when Jadon Sancho scored in the first 25 minutes and Matty Cash added an own goal to expand their lead.

Sancho’s volley was his third of the tour, having been put past Emiliano Martinez at the culmination of an excellent team move. Cash, on the other hand, will be upset to have deflected Marcus Rashford’s strike into the net.

The Red Devils coasted while Steven Gerrard’s team struggled to get out of first gear. However, United’s performance in the second half let Aston Villa back into the game.

Gerrard made many substitutions during the second half, including Tim Iroegbunam (in place of Kamara), Kaine Kesler Hayden (in place of Cash), Morgan Sanson (in place of McGinn), Calum Chambers (in place of Diego Carlos), and Cameron Archer ( for Watkins).

They scored four minutes after halftime thanks to a magnificent performance from Leon Bailey, who continued to cause problems for the United defense throughout the game.

However, Bailey was able to get a shot off thanks to Victor Lindelof’s poor defense. As a result, the 28-year-old has almost certainly confirmed that newcomer Lisandro Martinez will start ahead of him for the time being.

Villa kept putting pressure on Manchester United with their relentless attack. It was only a matter of time before they scored once more. The Red Devils were just hanging on.

However, Villa’s perseverance proved too much for United, as Calum Chambers equalized in the 93rd minute to tie the game at 2-2. As a result, Ten Hag’s team left their final game on tour with an overall sense of sadness.

Nonetheless, Harry Maguire was able to regain the support of the Old Trafford fans (momentarily). On Tuesday afternoon, the United was welcomed with boos, but he was eventually applauded by the crowd.

Bailey was on the verge of scoring his second goal of the game when Maguire made a critical interception. The Jamaican goalkeeper had rounded David de Gea, but Maguire was able to recover and keep the ball out of the net.

Maguire also came close to opening the scoring when Emiliano Martinez saved his header from a Luke Shaw corner. Perhaps the fans will remember that when he takes the field for United’s final two pre-season games against Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano at the end of the month.

Although United will be dissatisfied with the result in Perth, both managers will be relieved that no of their players were hurt as a result of the bad surface on which they were forced to play.