Taking up their positions in the away end this afternoon, Manchester United's supporters could be forgiven for having flashbacks to their last visit to Villa Park.
Fresh from having edged past Villa in the FA Cup five days earlier at Old Trafford, United were on course to get the better of the Midlands outfit for the second time in less than a week and register their first Premier League win of 2022. Bruno Fernandes had scored either side of the half-time interval and with just 23 minutes of normal time left on the clock they were coasting towards a routine away win.
However, just a minute after Fernandes scored his second goal, then-Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard reacted by making a substitution that injected fresh energy into his team and into the stands. Philippe Coutinho, who had been signed on loan from Barcelona a few days earlier, was brought on for his debut, giving the whole of Villa Park a much-needed lift.
