Birmingham: 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 last night.
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.
The said, “I missed these games and the Premier League. It was a good start and we kept believing until the end. There have been many ups and downs but that is in the past. I’m here and focused on the objectives of the club and the manager. I want to do a good job to help my team-mates and the club.”
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.
Long-range shot
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.