Villa left frustrated after 4–4 draw slips away at Old Trafford
Wednesday 11 November 2026 · By James Thornton
Aston Villa led 2–0 and later 4–2 at Manchester United on Sunday, only to leave Old Trafford with a 4–4 draw after two stoppage-time goals. Unai Emery said he was angry at the late collapse, describing it as a lost opportunity to take two further points rather than as a quarrel with his players.
Alysson scored in the first minute and Nicolas Jackson made it 2–0 in the fourth, the earliest United have trailed by two goals in a Premier League match, according to BBC. Bruno Fernandes reduced the deficit from the penalty spot in the 16th minute and Youri Tielemans equalised in the 44th. John McGinn restored Villa’s lead from another penalty in the 48th minute and Leon Goretzka scored in the 53rd, before Joshua Zirkzee struck in the 90+2nd minute and Patrick Dorgu in the 90+6th.
Emery was also unhappy that no foul was given when Senne Lammens challenged Zion Suzuki at the corner from which United equalised. That is the manager’s view of the incident, not a confirmed officiating error. “Angry, of course. To accept to lose in the last minutes two goals, it is difficult. I am angry for the situation, not with the players,” he said. He also acknowledged United’s capacity to recover through powerful players.
The draw left Villa tenth on 13 points from ten matches, one above Tottenham and Newcastle and three behind Bournemouth. It was their second successive league stalemate, following the 1–1 home draw with Fulham, and came after the 3–0 Champions League defeat at Barcelona. Their last six league results are win, draw, win, win, draw, draw.
Jackson now has six league goals, jointly third in the scoring list. McGinn has two goals and four assists, and Manzambi two goals and three assists. Matty Cash, suspended for the trip to Old Trafford, has served his ban and is available again. No new confirmed injury from the match was identified in the opened reports.
Talk of a new contract for Emery has been reported, but no agreement has been announced and it is not treated here as completed. Older legal-threat background is likewise a carry-forward only, with no new development being asserted.
Sunderland visit Villa Park on Saturday 21 November at 15:00 GMT after beating Chelsea 1–0, then Villa travel to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday 24 November at 17:45 GMT. The attendance was 74,149. No new confirmed injury from Old Trafford was identified in the opened match reports, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s earlier status as close to a return has not been freshly updated here. Emery’s immediate concern is the manner in which a winning position disappeared in added time, and whether Villa can turn similar control into a more secure result when league football resumes.
Villa Park sits in Aston, a few miles north of Birmingham city centre, address Trinity Road, B6 6HE. It has been Aston Villa’s home since 1897. For visiting supporters the practical picture is simple: you are almost always in the north-east corner of the Doug Ellis Stand, on Witton Lane, split between lower-tier block Q (about 1,600 seats) and upper-tier block P (about 1,300). Upper-tier access is 64 steps. Late turnstiles Q96 and P89 usually stay open until the second half begins.
Orient yourself from the pitch. The Holte End is the big two-tier home end behind the south goal. Opposite it, behind the north goal, is the North Stand. Trinity Road is the main three-tier side to the west, with dugouts, tunnel and hospitality. Doug Ellis runs the east touchline. Goals sit in front of the Holte End and the North Stand, not the side stands. League away allocations are the Doug Ellis corner, not the North Stand, except when cup rules require a larger share of the ground.
Check your fixture before you travel. For 2026–27 the North Stand is closed while it is rebuilt, so capacity is lower than the usual low-40,000s and concourse routes around the north side can change week to week. Construction also affects the north car park, shop and FanZone approaches. Follow the club’s away-supporter note for that match rather than last season’s memory.
Witton station is the one you want: a short walk to the away turnstiles and usually the calmer exit afterwards. Aston station is walkable but busier after big games. From New Street there are regular local trains; matchday shuttle buses also run from Dudley Street near New Street. Drivers should use M6 junction 6 and expect a traffic exclusion zone on Witton Lane and Trinity Road from two hours before kick-off. Book parking in advance. Away coaches use the dedicated park opposite the ground on Witton Lane; the visitors’ ticket office is on that same stretch.
Gates typically open 90 minutes before kick-off. Bags are searched and oversized bags are refused, with no storage on site, so travel light. Alcohol is often not served on the cramped upper away concourse. Wheelchair spaces sit in the away section with step-free access via the gate by the away ticket office. Stay in your purchased seat; standing on seats and blocking aisles is policed.
Villa Park is a proper old English ground rather than a bowl: four distinct stands, a loud Holte End, and a visiting corner that still gets a decent view of both penalty areas. Arrive early, use Witton, and treat the diagram as a plan of the bowl, not a street map. Enjoy the noise from the Holte — then get your own end singing.