Manchester United looked set to finish their two-week summer tour of Thailand and Australia with a win and a perfect four-from-four record before David de Gea disappeared from a stoppage-time corner and Calum Chambers equalized home with Aston Villa.
So a two-goal lead had been let slip at half-time and Erik ten Hag was clear that he will use it as a reality check. “That’s what I just said in the locker room,” the manager said. “A drop in focus is unacceptable, though [before] the season I’m happy because now I can tell them that it can’t happen. We need to get out of the locker room and get back to your plan [after half-time] and that’s what we didn’t do.”
Ten Hag was cuter when asked if blaming De Gea for Chambers’ strike was harsh. “I have to see it again,” said the manager.
United returned home from Perth just after the whistle with a return of three wins, one draw, 13 goals scored and three conceded. Ten Hag said: “Football is a sport of mistakes and we have to reduce the mistakes. But I have seen a lot of progress in these two weeks. In the first half I saw very good football, controlling and dominating the game a lot” .
Villa were kept at bay by United’s attack before coming back admirably in the second half. It was unimpressive, though, an almost treacherous surface, as United’s opening foray illustrated: Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw and Bruno Fernandes combined but slipped on a pitch that had taken heavy rain.
The weather had come to force a postponement and the danger of injury was obvious. Luckily, that didn’t happen. In contrast, Harry Maguire, after being booed during Tuesday’s win over Crystal Palace in Melbourne, was one of United’s best players. The captain went close to an early goal when he pounced to meet Shaw’s corner. Emiliano Martínez hit the header but the goalkeeper and Villa’s teammates had been cautioned.
Aston Villa players rush to close down Jadon Sancho, who scored Manchester United’s first goal. Photograph: Richard Wainwright/AAP
Villa manager Steven Gerrard had spoken of his side “getting on the dial” after Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Brisbane Roar, so the sight of Matty Cash simulating Rashford before firing on goal for De Gea would have liked it. The United number 1 dived and missed the ball, but it went wide of his right post.
The home element made this a game with an edge. Villa players crashed against United, such as when John McGinn upended Fernandes and Diego Carlos did the same to Rashford.
United, more determined to play, decorated the contest with a goal in a flowing sequence that is becoming their trademark under the Ten Hag. Martial fed the ball to Fernandes, who fed Rashford down the left. Shaw went past, made a pass and chipped Jadon Sancho, who lifted a foot to volley home.
Torrential rain began to batter proceedings as United doubled their lead. Sancho moved to the right and introduced the ball. Rashford’s effort was badly struck, but a deflection from Cash beat Martinez for an own goal. Number 10 greeted him with an emotion that was missing from his face last term: joy.
Gerrard sent on Leon Bailey on the break and within five minutes he scored. He drove down the right and made Victor Lindelöf look like a fan as he beat the Swede and De Gea on a diagonal angle with a 20-yard finish to make it 2-1.
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That was admirable from Villa and they had ascendancy, De Gea soon having to make a fingertip save as another Bailey effort bounced off Martial. Villa was in the way Gerrard would want. A through ball from Emiliano Buendía released the dangerous Bailey, but as he rounded De Gea, Maguire was there to make a classic last-man pass.
For the closing phase, Ten Hag changed all of their outfield players. This left United scrambling and, as the wind picked up enough to blow a plastic chair onto the pitch, Chambers stepped up.
Gerrard said: “The players have come out and been different in the second half for the better.”