Not only Carrick – OT fans applauded two Man Utd stars after surreal draw

Although the late comeback against Aston Villa was only worth a point, Manchester United fans at Old Trafford were particularly delighted with Matheus Cunha and Joshua Zirkzee.

It was an unusual game of football at M-16, as the Red Devils found themselves trailing by two goals inside four minutes. Unai Emery’s men scored through Alysson and Nicolas Jackson.

Nevertheless, the Red Devils managed to score twice in the first half to level the score. Cunha won a spot-kick converted by Bruno Fernandes, while Youri Tielemans netted against the club he left in the summer.

If the first 45 minutes weren’t wild enough, the second period was equally chaotic. Once again, the Villans opened a two-goal lead, this time through John McGinn’s penalty following Diogo Dalot’s trip, and Leon Goretzka’s rebound.

However, Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu came off the bench to deliver two injury-time goals, that may or may not save Carrick’s job.

Although the team is heading to the international break in the relegation zone (18th place), the under-fire manager was still showered with cheers and applause, with the fans singing his name as he made his way to the tunnel.

This was a similar scenario to the one witnessed at the end of the 0-3 defeat to Bournemouth a fortnight ago. But while the supporters turned on the squad after that poor result, the players weren’t jeered this time.

According to The Athletic’s correspondent Laurie Whitwell, Cunha and Zirkzee were particularly applauded by the supporters.

The journalist argues that the team would have been in a much better place if it hadn’t been for avoidable defensive howlers.

Since the start of the season, Carrick has been refusing to hand Zirkzee a starting role, despite being the only available striker at his disposal, with Benjamin Sesko ruled out with injury.

Despite his limited playing time, the Dutchman has now scored twice off the bench (against Como and Aston Villa), and his introduction has often improved the team’s overall attacking rhythm.

While it remains to be seen if Carrick will still be around after the international break, Zirkzee should be considered for a starting role, regardless of the manager’s identity.