Picture Credit: Twitter
Aston Villa pulled off an incredible comeback to draw their preseason friendly against Manchester United 2-2 at the Opus Stadium in Perth. The Villans were down 2-0 down at the start of the second half when the team’s new signing Leon Bailey brought back the team as he scored a stunning solo goal by picking the ball up 45 yards from goal.
While the Red Devils continued holding on to their lead despite throwing on young players, in the dying moments of the match, Bailey once again rose up to the occasion and headed home the equalizer from Calum Chambers’ corner.
Have a look at Bailey's second goal here:
After the match, Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard praised his team’s performance in the second half. He said, “It was very difficult to play football tonight – the conditions were extremely tough for both sets of players.”
“I was really pleased with a lot of our defensive shape first half but we got one or two things wrong and conceded goals on the back of that. We weren’t good enough in possession to create in the first half. The second half was totally different. I thought our performance deserved to take something from the game,” he stated
Gerrard also lauded Bailey’s contribution and said, “It was more than an impact. He changed the game, he showed energy, he showed speed, a hunger to cause problems and he’s come back in pre-season a different player.”
“Not just from a technical point of view – his demeanour, his body language. I think he’s trusting his body more, so we need to keep him healthy. So far, for Leon, he’s sending me a massive signal that he wants to be in the 11, so he needs a strong two weeks.”
