Manchester United must sack Michael Carrick despite the dramatic 4-4 draw with Aston Villa, according to opinion, with eight players also needing to be jettisoned from Old Trafford.
Fastest Two-Goal Deficit
The midweek Champions League victory over Roma had restored some feel-good factor at United, suggesting Carrick could turn the season around. However, in their next match five days later, United went 2-0 down to Aston Villa inside three minutes and 40 seconds - the fastest they have ever trailed by two goals in a Premier League match.
Diogo Dalot left Alysson in space at the back post for the first goal, while Senne Lammens was poor for the second, parrying Alysson's shot into the six-yard box for Nicolas Jackson to lash in from close range.
Comeback and Collapse
Bruno Fernandes lifted the gloom with a penalty after Matheus Cunha was fouled, and Youri Tielemans made it 2-2 before half-time. Unlike the Roma win, however, Villa scored the fifth goal of the game through John McGinn from the spot after Dalot committed a foul on Alysson.
Leny Yoro then tried to head the ball past his own goalkeeper at a free-kick, with the ball bouncing off the crossbar and falling for Leon Goretzka to restore Villa's two-goal lead nine minutes into the second half.
Stoppage-Time Rescue
United salvaged a point with two stoppage-time goals from Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu to secure a 4-4 draw. The full-time atmosphere was described as weird as players were clapped off by supporters who had earlier told them they were not fit to wear the shirt.
Carrick has just one win in 10 Premier League games this season, with three wins from 15 matches overall. United will spend the November international break 18th in the table, one point above 20th-placed Crystal Palace.
Defensive Woes and Player Culls
United have conceded 19 times in 10 league games, with only Ipswich Town (20) and Palace (24) conceding more. Across the Carabao Cup and Champions League, they have conceded another 11 goals in five matches, taking their total across all competitions to 30 - more than any club in Europe's major leagues.
Dalot and Harry Maguire must go at the end of the season, with Dalot directly at fault for the first and third goals and his substitution greeted with cheers. Maguire was taken off at half-time, presumably due to injury, but the opinion argues his time is up. Substitutes Mason Mount and Joshua Zirkzee also need upgrading, while Noussair Mazraoui, Luke Shaw, Manuel Ugarte and Marcus Rashford must all go too, making eight players in total.
Some might argue double that could be axed, and a new manager might save a few careers, but some are beyond saving. The opinion concludes that United's failings reflect worse on INEOS than on Carrick, and it is time for Sir Jim Ratcliffe to put the manager out of his misery, with the barrel then turning on the players.
