Philippe Coutinho Scores On Aston Villa Debut To Earn A Draw vs Manchester United
You couldn't write it.
Philippe Coutinho has scored on his Aston Villa debut to earn his new side a dramatic 2-2 draw against Manchester United.
Coutinho started on the bench at Villa Park this evening after securing a six-month loan from Barcelona earlier this week.
He replaced Morgan Sanson in the 68th minute and it took just 14 minutes to open his Premier League account for a second time.
The Brazil international fired home past David de Gea to complete a Villa comeback from 2-0 down.
Bruno Fernandes put United ahead inside six minutes after firing a shot straight at goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Instead of catching the ball, Martinez let it squirm through his legs and into the back of the net.
United looked relatively comfortable in the opening 30 minutes, but de Gea was called into action just before the break.
Villa emerged the better side after the interval, but Fernandes got his second of the game after Fred capitalised on a defence at the back.
He laid it off to Fernandes who emphatically smashed home off the bar.
Jacob Ramsey got Villa back in it in the 77th minute before Coutinho ensured it wouldn't be a fourth defeat in a row for Steven Gerrard's side.
United were without Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford through injury, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka was missing with illness.
Captain Harry Maguire was once again left on the bench and interim manager Ralf Rangick suggested it was a tactical reason rather than health-related.
He explained: "Harry was out for two weeks, he doesn't have any problems anymore, but I decided to keep the two centre-backs from the cup game."
United remain in seventh place and are five points behind West Ham United in fourth, but will feel today's result was points dropped rather than gained.
Featured Image Credit: Sky SportsTopics: Philippe Coutinho, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Premier League
Daniel Marland