Aston Villa v Man United
Coutinho nets late on debut, earns Villa 2-2 draw with Man U
BIRMINGHAM, England -- — Philippe Coutinho came off the bench to score a late equalizer on his debut for Aston Villa in a 2-2 draw against Manchester United in the English Premier League on Saturday.
United had just taken a 2-0 lead, thanks to Bruno Fernandes' second goal of the game, when Coutinho entered as a substitute to loud cheers at Villa Park.
The Brazil playmaker played a part in Jacob Ramsey's 77th-minute goal that gave Villa hope, then turned in a low cross from Ramsey at the far post five minutes later in front of the Holte End.
It was a second match in six days between the teams, with United having edged a somewhat fortuitous 1-0 win in the FA Cup on Monday.
Ralf Rangnick’s side looked on course for another hard-fought victory against Villa after Emiliano Martinez let a long-range shot from Fernandes squirm through his grasp and through his legs in the sixth minute.
Fernandes, the stand-in captain with Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo still missing because of injuries, added a brilliant second in the 67th from a shot in off the crossbar after Villa lost possession in its own half.
Coutinho provided a wild end to a thrilling encounter that United started impressively without Ronaldo for a second straight game.
United stayed seventh, a point behind Tottenham having played two games more. Spurs were due to play Arsenal on Sunday but the game was called off on Saturday.
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Game Information
English Premier League Standings
| Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | 18 | 13 | 3 | 2 | +22 | 42 |
| Manchester City | 18 | 13 | 1 | 4 | +26 | 40 |
| Aston Villa | 17 | 11 | 3 | 3 | +9 | 36 |
| Liverpool | 18 | 10 | 2 | 6 | +4 | 32 |
| Chelsea | 17 | 8 | 5 | 4 | +12 | 29 |
| Manchester United | 18 | 8 | 5 | 5 | +4 | 29 |
| Sunderland | 17 | 7 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 27 |
| Brentford | 18 | 8 | 2 | 8 | +2 | 26 |
| Crystal Palace | 17 | 7 | 5 | 5 | +2 | 26 |
| Fulham | 18 | 8 | 2 | 8 | -1 | 26 |
| Everton | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | -2 | 25 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 18 | 6 | 6 | 6 | +1 | 24 |
| Newcastle United | 18 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 23 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 17 | 6 | 4 | 7 | +3 | 22 |
| AFC Bournemouth | 18 | 5 | 7 | 6 | -6 | 22 |
| Leeds United | 17 | 5 | 4 | 8 | -7 | 19 |
| Nottingham Forest | 18 | 5 | 3 | 10 | -10 | 18 |
| West Ham United | 18 | 3 | 4 | 11 | -17 | 13 |
| Burnley | 18 | 3 | 3 | 12 | -15 | 12 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 18 | 0 | 2 | 16 | -29 | 2 |

