Despair then delight at Old Trafford as United beats Villa
Liverpool moves to top of Premier League
MANCHESTER, England — Welcome to Manchester United, Jim Ratcliffe.
In the space of 90 minutes, and in front of soon-to-be director Dave Brailsford, Old Trafford witnessed the best and worst of Erik ten Hag’s team.
Two days after confirmation that British billionaire Ratcliffe will buy a stake of up to 25% in the club, United trailed by two goals inside 26 minutes against Aston Villa and was booed by the home crowd on Tuesday.
Ten Hag’s players then produced a spectacular second-half comeback to win 3-2 and spark celebrations rarely seen at its famed stadium during a troubled season so far.
“We said ‘ Keep going. Believe it, in ourselves.’ That is what I demand from the team,” Ten Hag said afterward. “We said it before the game and during halftime, ‘Keep believing and we will win this game.’”
Going into the game on the back of a run of four matches in all competitions without a win or a goal, United took to the field for the first time since Ratcliffe, one of Britain’s richest people, secured an agreement worth around $1.6 billion to buy into the club he has supported from childhood.
Brailsford is the director of sport for INEOS Sport, which Ratcliffe owns, and on Tuesday it was confirmed he will be a director of United once the deal is completed.
He got a taste of the sense of frustration among the 20-time league champions’ fans — after more than 10 years since United last won the title — and the animosity toward American owners the Glazer family, who put the club up for sale last year.
Ratcliffe will take charge of soccer operations as part of his investment and Brailsford is expected to play a big part in a new structure.
While it will take more than one win to turn a season around that has already seen United eliminated from the Champions League and the English League Cup, the atmosphere in the second half was a taste of what can be achieved by bringing the good times back to Old Trafford.
“We’re looking forward. I think it is positive for the club that they are stepping in. They have a lot of experience in sport at the highest level — F1, a cycling team, football clubs,” Ten Hag said. “They can only help us and support us to get our targets. We are looking forward. They want to work with us and we want to work with them.”
Villa went ahead through firsthalf goals from John McGinn and Leander Dendoncker.
Alejandro Garnacho sparked United’s revival with two goals in the second half and Rasmus Hojlund scored his first league goal to win the game.
Third-place Villa had been unbeaten in 10 games going into the match.
“Two weeks ago I was asked if we were contenders to the title and said no, and was thinking the same as I am now,” Villa manager Unai Emery said. “Today we missed an opportunity to have that consistency against one of the top ten teams. This can happen.”
LIVERPOOLLEADS: Liverpool is back at the top of the league and Darwin Nuñez is again among the goals.
Nuñez ended a 12-game scoring drought to set up Jurgen Klopp’s team for a 2-0 win against Burnley and overtake Arsenal in the standings.
Liverpool moved two points clear of second-place Arsenal, which has a game in hand against West Ham on Thursday.
WOOD’SHATTRICK: Chris Wood came back to haunt Newcastle and hand Nuno Espírito Santo his first win as Nottingham Forest manager.
Wood, who joined Newcastle in January 2022 and was sold to Forest 18 months later, struck a hat trick in his team’s 3-1 win in the Premier League at St. James’ Park on Tuesday.
“I’m just happy to stick them away. That’s what I’m here to do and I’m just happy I could,” the striker said.
LUTON DOUBLE: Back-to-back wins for Luton have boosted the relegation-fighting club’s chances of survival. But Rob Edwards’ team had Sheffield United to thank for the 3-2 win at Bramall Lane after the bottom-place team scored two own-goals in the space of four minutes.
Jack Robinson and Anis Ben Slimane put through their own net in the 77th and 81st minutes to hand 18th-place Luton the win that moved it to within a point of Everton in 17th.