Manchester United’s ability to come from behind is box office, but unsustainable

For the third time in a week, Manchester United came back from a two-goal deficit to level the match.

Their 3-2 win against Roma in the Champions League last Tuesday gave Carrick some breathing room as he won his first match in ten games, but the cold fingers of the Grim Reaper tightened around his neck when United went 2-0 down within four minutes in their fixture against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Just like they did against Roma, United fought their way back into the match, with Bruno Fernandes equalising from the penalty spot, before Tielemans would level the match, opening his United account with a goal against his former side.

But in typical United fashion, the match did not stop there. Similarly to the first half, defensive insecurities shone through, as John McGinn put his side back ahead, before summer signing Leon Goretzka would put Villa two up for the second time in the match.

By the 90th minute, the three points seemed destined to head back to the Midlands, but a 92nd-minute strike from substitute Joshua Zirkzee would bring the gam back to just one goal, before Patrick Dorgu would score the final goal of the match in the 96th minute, ending what was one of the most utterly maddening fixtures in Premier League history.

Regardless of the problems Manchester United have faced this season, there is no doubt that their past two matches have been the sort of get-off-your-seat encounters in which the drama increases tenfold as the game progresses.

Yes, protests may still take precedence. The antipathy towards 21 years of Glazer ownership is becoming more prevalent by the day, while Ineos have done little to stop the rot spreading throughout Old Trafford.

Thousands of fans protested on Sunday, releasing green and yellow balloons—the colours of Newton Heath, the club's original name—as well as displaying a banner bearing the words: 'We don't want a new stadium, we want new owners'.

Over the past few years, tensions have been slowly boiling over, with supporters becoming angrier by the week as Ineos and the Glazer family continue to distance themselves from the fanbase, seemingly prioritising the club's revenue above all else.

Avram Glazer recently spoke to an audience of financiers at Deutsche Bank's inaugural Sports Investment Conference in London, claiming that sporting institutions on the scale of Manchester United do not need on-field success to generate commercial profit.

It was just another nail in the coffin for supporters, a coffin that has already been desecrated, with it increasingly appearing that the club's owners are intent on alienating their own fanbase.

Results this season have only strengthened the general distrust and dislike of both Ineos and the Glazers, with United sitting in the relegation zone as they head into the second international break of the season.

The last time United languished in the relegation zone this far into a season was in 1986, when Sir Alex Ferguson took the reins for the first time on November 6, eventually steering the club to an 11th-placed finish.

United have recorded just one Premier League win—fewer than every other side—and have registered the joint-most draws, while only five teams have suffered more defeats.

The defence has conceded 19 goals, with only Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town shipping more. Despite recording the highest expected goals per game in the league (2.03), United have scored just 14 times, leaving them with a goals-minus-expected-goals (G−xG) figure of -6.3.

Matches with innate comebacks such as the recent fixtures against Roma and Villa are hard to comprehend. There are so many adjectives you can use for the fight and resilience shown on the pitch, but the mood in the crowd and across the globe is still bordering on melancholic.

For one, despite fighting valiantly to earn a point, United still sit 18th in the table, with one of the worst ownership groups in sport seemingly holding the club back with a metal chain. But it is not just that.

Results of this magnitude are simply unsustainable.

United are a club synonymous with famous comebacks. For years, the words 'Fergie time' struck fear into the hearts of opponents, as though, with every passing second, United's players suddenly became stronger, faster and better.

You could argue that is still the case. Since Ferguson left the club in 2013, United have fallen into disarray, yet there remains a glimmer of hope as the game enters added time. More often than not, the players find a way to force themselves back into contention.

Doing that week after week, however, is not sustainable in the slightest. United were arguably fortunate to even draw level against Villa. For the majority of the match, the visitors looked the stronger side, seemingly toying with United like a cat playing with its prey.

Twice, at the start of both halves, United emerged sluggishly, seemingly expecting others to drag the team forward, while a leaky defence conceded four goals for the second time this season.

Too often this season, we have seen Diogo Dalot caught out of position. Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro have shown glimpses of their potential, but the rawness of the pair is exposed in matches of this magnitude, with both making costly errors as Carrick looked on in despair.

When Dorgu not only scored United's fourth but also assisted their third, he offered Carrick a lifeline. It was almost as if Ferguson himself was extending an olive branch from beyond, passing down some of his wisdom to help his former player through.

But United simply cannot allow games to get away from themselves like this again

United will now endure a near two-week international break before heading down the M62 to face Liverpool in a must-win match.

Will Carrick be in the dugout for the match? It is likely. We have yet to see Ineos truly waver on their decision thus far, but it would not be a huge surprise to anyone if he were relieved of his duties.

Lose against Liverpool, however, and his time at the club may be coming to its final chapter.