Roy Keane and Ashley Young have questioned Senne Lammens and Diogo Dalot for their roles in Aston Villa's two early goals against Manchester United. Alysson and Nicolas Jackson were both on target in the first five minutes, with goalkeeper Lammens arguably at fault for both.
Early Villa Double Puts United on Back Foot
United conceded the first after less than 90 seconds when Alysson squeezed an effort through the legs of Lammens. The Belgian was questioned by Sky Sports co-commentator Alan Smith at the time for conceding that goal and was back under the microscope when his parry from an Alysson shot fell right into the path of Nicolas Jackson, who made it 2-0 after just five minutes.
The Belgian had a great first season at Old Trafford but has struggled over the last few months, with Young making a point of his error at the World Cup. He said on Sky Sports: "The goalkeeper doesn't [cover] himself in any glory, here. You know, since the World Cup he made that mistake and he hasn't looked the same as last season. For me on the goal, Diogo Dalot - you've got to defend your goal. Slide in. He's got to slide in, he's going with his opposite foot."
Keane and Young Criticise Defensive Errors
Keane added: "Nightmare start for United, obviously never got going. Villa, they looked sharp and again a set-piece. A nice lay-off, shot on target. The keeper's got to do better. Like all top strikers, you're looking at the reaction, he's on the move. Again, poor from United - your goalkeeper: standard save. Villa probably couldn't believe their luck, dream start for them - but then they gave them a helping hand to get back in the game."
However, Michael Carrick's side fought back valiantly, with Bruno Fernandes scoring a penalty before former Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans fired in a low effort from Noussair Mazraoui's cut-back just before half-time.
United Fight Back but Villa Strike Again
Keane made a point of praising the response from United, with his verdict centring around running stats, with Carrick's side notably bottom of those up until this game. He said: "It's no coincidence even after United went 2-0 down - since then they've been top of all the running stats. When people say that's not that important, it's nonsense. They're top of all their running stats, they're getting after people and they're getting their rewards. But they're still open at the back."
Despite having the momentum, Villa took the lead just a few minutes into the second half, with John McGinn scoring a penalty after a foul by Dalot on Alysson.
