Manchester United earned a point in dramatic fashion against Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon.

United went 2-0 down within five minutes after goals from Alysson and Nicholas Jackson. Bruno Fernandes then pulled one back for the Reds from the penalty spot, before Youri Tielemans drew United level, scoring his first goal in a United shirt against his former club.

After Tielemans' equaliser, United continued to put Unai Emery's side under real pressure before going into the break. All that work was undone early on in the second half, though, as Diogo Dalot needlessly gave away a penalty, which was converted by John McGinn. Shortly after, Leon Goretzka scored Villa's fourth of the day.

It seemed that the visitors were cruising to three points, but Joshua Zirkzee, who came on as a substitute, pulled one back for Michael Carrick's side in stoppage time. Patrick Dorgu, who also came on as a substitute, scored a few minutes later to equalise and salvage a desperately needed point for United.

While the comebacks against Roma and Villa may provide some reason for optimism, the style of play is not sustainable in the slightest. United are leaking goals, and while they have played well in spells over the last few games, they struggle to control games for sustained periods of time.

It is important to emphasise that there are far bigger problems at Manchester United than Carrick, and should he indeed be sacked, Jason Wilcox and potentially even Omar Berrada should face the same consequences. However, after 10 Premier League games, United currently sit 18th, with a mere eight points.

That is simply unacceptable, and while questions should also be asked of the players, United finished third last season. Casemiro left, but that was the only major departure, and United signed three players who, before arriving at United, were all highly regarded. This squad is not good enough to win a Premier League title, but a squad of this quality should be nowhere near the relegation zone after a quarter of the season.

Parting ways with Carrick now gives United time to get a replacement in during the international break, and it would also give a new head coach some time to settle. Should the club decide to keep Carrick, they have to be 100 per cent certain that he is the right man, because if he stays and United struggle for form after the international break, it would leave the club in a very difficult position, as a busy schedule awaits until the next international break in March.

Over the last three games, it has become a pattern that United either start games poorly or start the second half poorly. Against Chelsea, United produced a good first-half performance but went 1-0 down early on in the second half. Against AS Roma, Carrick's side were 2-0 down within 20 minutes.

United went 2-0 down against Villa within five minutes but recovered well to go into the interval on level terms. All that hard work was quickly thrown away in the second half as Emery's side scored two goals within the first 10 minutes. United came back dramatically in stoppage time, but it should not take going two goals down to finally start playing with urgency again.

United, for whatever reason, seem incapable of playing well for the vast majority of a game. Whether this issue has to do with fitness or focus, it's something that needs to be solved quickly. 

Senne Lammens was exceptional last season, but he has been poor this season, especially in terms of shot-stopping and distribution.

He should have saved Villa's goal, and he did not cover himself in glory for Villa's second either.

After a strong first season, he has credit in the bank, but if this form continues throughout the season, United may have to assess the market for a new keeper in the summer.

Shea Lacey made a very positive impact when he came on against AS Roma and should have been rewarded with a start against Villa. Amad started on the right wing and had a few very good chances to score, but failed to do so.

The Ivorian winger also had several chances to score against Chelsea, but missed every single one of them. He is now 24 years of age and has to start stepping up. He only managed two goals and three assists last season, which is simply not good enough for a winger playing in a team that finished third in the Premier League.

He has yet to score a goal this season and has only registered one assist. He is very good out of possession in the high press and is technically gifted, but he is not contributing enough in terms of goals and assists.

He has been at the club for several years now and needs to start delivering. If he continues to struggle throughout the remainder of the season, he is another one who should be sold in the summer.

Zirkzee is now in his third season at United, and for the vast majority of that time, he has offered next to nothing. He is a fantastic footballer, but the Premier League is simply too fast for him.

That being said, he has looked very good in recent games when coming on as a substitute, and by starting him, he could give United some sort of focal point. He is far from the perfect type of striker for this system, but he has done enough to earn a string of starts.

Zirkzee starting would also allow Bryan Mbeumo to move to the right wing. Mbeumo is a great player and has been United's best attacker this season, but his game with his back to goal is not good enough to play through the middle, and he does not offer enough of an aerial presence to win the initial duel from long balls. He needs to play on the right, coming into more central areas and facing play. If he gets into the right positions, he will score goals, as he is clinical in front of goal.