Old Trafford cheers Dalot's substitution as Villa dismantle United 4-2 at home

Aston Villa dismantled Manchester United 4-2 at Old Trafford on Sunday, with United supporters cheering their own right-back Diogo Dalot off the pitch in a damning verdict on a shambolic afternoon.

Villa were in control almost immediately, with Alysson and Nicolas Jackson scoring inside the opening four minutes to put the visitors 2-0 up. United responded through Bruno Fernandes’ penalty and a Youri Tielemans equaliser to level at 2-2 at half-time, offering brief hope of a recovery.

That hope evaporated within two minutes of the restart. Dalot clumsily tripped Alysson in the penalty area, and John McGinn converted from the spot to restore Villa’s lead at 3-2. United’s defending then became farcical: Leny Yoro headed a free-kick towards his own goal, Senne Lammens could only parry the ball, and Leon Goretzka tapped in to make it 4-2.

With the score at 4-2, caretaker manager Michael Carrick made a triple substitution in the 66th minute, withdrawing Dalot, Tielemans and Amad Diallo and introducing Patrick Dorgu, Mason Mount and Shea Lacey. The crowd’s loud cheers as Dalot’s name was read out underlined the depth of frustration inside Old Trafford.

The defeat extended United’s miserable domestic season and arrived at a particularly sensitive moment, with a two-week international break to follow. Carrick had gone into the fixture desperate for a result that might ease the pressure.

The match also took place against a backdrop of growing supporter unrest off the pitch. Before kick-off, fans staged a second protest against owners the Glazers and Sir Jim Ratcliffe within the space of a week — following a similar demonstration during the 3-2 win over Roma on Tuesday — releasing green and gold balloons and chanting about the club’s ownership.