PHIL YOUR BOOTS
WHEN Philippe Coutinho was weaving his magic at Liverpool back in the day, the Kop used to call him the Little Magician.
Well he certainly pulled a rabbit out of the hat… and answered all the doubters in the world inside 13 incredible minutes as he did so.
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Manchester United were in cruise control and heading for as easy a three points as they’ve earned all season when Steven Gerrard turned to the Brazilian on the bench.
Nearly 69 minutes were on the clock and even the most one-eyed Holte Ender daren’t have dreamt of the miracle to come.
Because not only did Coutinho then tee up Jacob Ramsey for a strike that breathed life into his team, and fire into the Villa fans on their damp squib of a night.
But nine minutes from time he struck the equaliser that earned them the most unbelievable of points.
It was the perfect answer to those who wondered if Coutinho would still be able to cut it at Prem level, as he arrived on loan from Barcelona.
And it also proved that maybe Cristiano Ronaldo did have a point after all, in doubting the mental toughness and attitude of his team-mates.
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Ronaldo himself was missing, apparently with a hip injury, that Ralf Rangnick doesn’t think will keep him out beyond the midweek clash with Brentford.
And for the bulk of the evening United without their kingpin had delivered the ideal two-fingered response, cantering into a two-goal lead and looking home and hosed.
Enter Coutinho, and first he traded passes with Carney Chukwuemeka, to create the chance which saw Ramsey finally find a way past David De Gea.
Then, with Villa Park bouncing at last, Ramsey returned the favour by drilling over a cross that Coutinho finished with the cool-eyed calm of an assassin.
To be fair even the Brazilian looked like he wsa struggling to believe the impact he had made as he careened and cavorted his way to celebrate with the fans.
It certainly left United shell-shocked, agt seeing two points snatched away when for so long it had looked like merely a case of “how many.”
They had been given a huge helping hand along the way, too, and no-one was left thanking Coutinho’s heroics more than clanger keeper Emiliano Martinez.
He was responsible for a right howler in United’s fifth minute opener, which left Bruno Fernandes not knowing whether to celebrate or smirk.
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When Alex Telles ran over the ball, he barely touched it. Enough, though, for Fernandes to be able to take one step forward and drill in a shot that bounced in front of Martinez.
It also thumped into his guts and that should have been enough to make sure it came to nothing.
But the Villa keeper was leaning forwards, the ball bounced down, through his legs and was over the line before he could react.
Martinez looked to referee David Coote with pleading eyes, desperate for salvation with an offside whistle against Edinson Cavani, who had dangled a leg in front of him.
Yet Tyrone Mings had obligingly dropped back to play the Uruguayan onside, United were ahead, and the Villa keeper was shame-faced.
To be fair, he then launched a one-man crusade to try and make amends, bravely throwing himself in front of Greenwood to push his point blank blockbuster to safety.
He came up with two more decent stops to deny the same man and beat out a Telles free kick – no trying to catch that one! – and then amazingly, incredibly, Villa found their feet.
When they did, it was nearly a dream debut for Lucas Digne too, but unlike Martinez, De Gea kept his legs shut when he fizzed in a first time and that was that.
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De Gea produced an even better one to keep out Jacob Ramsey’s strike, stamping his class all over it with a save at the foot of his post.
Not as heavily as Douglas Luiz stamped on Fernandes in one second half coming together, mind.
Given what United’s skipper-in-Harry-Maguire’s absence came up with minutes later, perhaps he should have trodden on him even harder.
For when Morgan Sanson coughed up possession to Fred 30 yards out, he fed Fernandes and – with Martinez trying to second guess him by going right – he thumped it straight and in off the bar.
That, so we thought, was that. Mind you, it was never going to be a real surprise.
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Not since 1995 and the infamous “you win nothing with kids” game had United been beaten here. Clearly Saturday night wasn’t going to be the night, either.
Ultimately, of course, no it wasn’t. But after losing that two-goal advantage to Coutinho and Co, it didn’t half feel like it.
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