Manchester United came back from two goals down to salvage a point against a youthful Aston Villa.

James Collins and Gabriel Agbonlahor each struck the United woodwork before Villa went ahead when Ashley Young scored from the penalty spot.

Marc Albrighton slotted in from close range as he added to Villa's lead.

But Federico Macheda gave United hope with a powerful shot and Nemanja Vidic stooped to head in a Nani cross to equalise for the visitors late on.

United's comeback provided a thrilling finale to the match but manager Sir Alex Ferguson will be left wondering why it took his team going 2-0 down for them to be sparked into life.

Ferguson had taken off misfiring striker Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov as he sent on Gabriel Obertan and Macheda with his side looking beaten but they raised themselves for a late rally to earn what had appeared an unlikely draw following the stirring efforts of Villa.

 It was the sixth draw in seven league outings for United on their travels this season and, although they kept up their unbeaten record for the campaign, that is now 12 points dropped away from home.

United had the motivation of knowing a win at Villa would close the gap to one point on Premier League leaders Chelsea, who were playing a day later, but the visitors lacked an urgency and an appetite for the game.

They were almost caught napping early on when Barry Bannan slid a ball inside right-back Wes Brown to find Stewart Downing and it needed centre-back Rio Ferdinand to come across and clear out the danger.

United did show a rare moment of threat when a poked Hernandez pass released Berbatov but his early season confidence in front of goal looks to have been eroded as he sidefooted disappointingly wide.

The visitors' lacklustre play was epitomised when a well-worked free-kick saw Nani play in Evra on the left only for his low whipped ball passing across the Villa goal without a team-mate showing a desire to get to it.

United were missing a player in the same mould as the suspended Paul Scholes, whose creative ability in spraying the ball around and getting forward from midfield was tellingly absent.

Hernandez and Berbatov both looked out-of-sorts as they were well-marshalled by a resolute Villa defence, which comprised the bulk of the team's experience.

The rest of the Villa team was predominantly made up of the club's up-and-coming talent and the more their opponents struggled the more they grew into their task.

Albrighton was a threat on the right flank, while central midfield duo Barry Bannan and Jonathan Hogg, who was making his league debut for Villa, were showing the benefits of youthful zest.

Young had a half-volley saved and Stewart Downing's shot was deflected narrowly wide off Ferdinand as the home side sensed a fragile United.

Not even a half-time teamtalk from Ferguson appeared to have forced his team into any sort of action and, instead, they only looked increasingly vulnerable after the break.

Albrighton sent a far post shot wide as Villa pressed and he then got round United left-back Evra but agonisingly headed an inviting Downing cross across goal and wide.

A fleet-footed Villa full of energy and verve were piling on the pressure and only the woodwork was coming to United's rescue.

Downing sent in another threatening ball from the left and Collins rose highest to launch a thunderous header against the crossbar.

United were rocking and, after the ball broke loose after a Vidic tackle on Young, Agbonlahor crashed a shot off the United post.

There was the fear Villa would pay for not making the most of their pressure but they were rewarded for their play when a counter-attack ended with Wes Brown felling Young, who picked himself up to score from the spot.

It got even better for the home side after Macheda gave the ball away and a swift and clinical Villa break ended with Albrighton slotting in after Downing crossed to the far post.

But United are renowned for their ability to keep fighting until the final whistle and Macheda drilled in an 18-yard shot which gave them a renewed belief.

When Vidic met a Nani cross at the far post and nodded in an angle header, the visitors suddenly felt a victory was within their reach.

Villa held on for a point but, a league win over United at home since 1995 still eluded them.

Feed the hare lol,  great goals, great plating the kids too again, nice to see gabby come on !!

A quickfire double from Nathan Delfouneso ensured a second victory in the space of five days for Villa's high-flying reserves.

The 19-year-old netted his second and third goals in the space of a week after youngster Graham Burke began the claret and blue revival with his 59th minute strike.

It was Wolves who made the better start and took an early lead when full-back George Elokobi bagged the first of his two headed goals.

But Delfouneso's quality told and his goals on 71 and 73 minutes sent Villa on the way to another well-earned three points.

Both sides handed opportunities to a number of first team stars in this all-West Midlands encounter.

Delfouneso, Brad Guzan, Carlos Cuellar, Eric Lichaj, Steve Sidwell and Barry Bannan - all of whom were on the bench for Villa's goalless draw against Chelsea on Saturday - were given some game time.

It was a similar story for Wolves, who handed summer signing Stephen Hunt his second appearance as he steps up his comeback from injury.

Elokobi, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Jelle Van Damme were the other notable Premier League stars on the visitors' team-sheet.

The boys from the Black Country made the stronger start with Steven Mouyokolo heading wide after meeting Nenad Milijas' cross.

Sixty seconds later, Elokobi went one better to give Wolves a 14th minute lead.

The full-back did well to meet a Milijas corner at the near post but benefitted from goalkeeper Guzan losing his footing as the header came in.

But Villa, inspired by the driving runs of Moustapha Salifou from midfield, soon came back into the contest.

Salifou and Barry Bannan both tested Wayne Hennessey with lo

ng-range efforts, while Cuellar planted a bullet header straight at the Wales international keeper from Bannan's corner.

Aside from Marcus Bent's header wide from close range just after the break, it was all Kevin MacDonald's team in the second-half.

Youngster Burke arrived at the back post to convert Sidwell's cross for the equaliser on 59 minutes after neat exchanges on the right hand side between Sidwell and Salifou.

The game was very much in the balance before Delfouneso's quickfire double put the result beyond doubt.

The decision to replace goalscorer Burke with Courtney Cameron paid off immediately, as the tricky academy winger proved instrumental in Delfouneso's first goal.

Cameron surged down the right and squared to Delfouneso inside the box.

The striker moved the ball left to Hogg, who patiently held up the ball before rounding Hennessey and returning to Delfouneso to hammer it home.

Then, within two minutes, it was game over. Bannan and Sidwell combined to send Delfouneso clear out left.

The England under-21s forward jinked his way inside the Wolves box and nestled a left-foot strike into the top corner with the aid of a slight deflection.

Wolves grabbed a stoppage time consolation - Elokobi making the most of a goalmouth scramble to nod home his second of the night.

VILLA: Guzan; Berry, Cuellar, Lowry, Lichaj; Hogg, Sidwell, Salifou, Bannan; Delfouneso, Burke. Subs: Parish, Cameron (for Burke 66), Williams (for Berry, 87), Carruthers, Johnson (for Bannan, 79).

WOLVES: Hennessey, Mouyokolo, Batth, Elokobi, Ebanks-Landell, Mujangi, Van Damme, Milijas, Hunt, Bent, Ebanks-Blake. Subs: Hemmings (for Hunt 72), McCarey, Malone, Rooney (for Mujangi, 85), Winnall (for Van Damme, 85).

WHAT A GREAT RESULT -  MOVED UP THE TABLE YEPPP !!

AWESOME !!!

Crackin start,  Ashley young scoring twice in 2 minutes,  was great to see the younger lads get a run out again too.

Villa,  wolves,  blues,  wba    -  all in the hat for next  round

Shame about gabby and big john going off though,

There was some great games tonight,   Newcastle doing amazing and wba too

Its been a mad season so far !!

Andy Carroll hit a hat-trick as Newcastle thrashed managerless Aston Villa 6-0 to register their first win back in the top-flight.

The visitors could have taken a 10th minute lead when Ashley Young was felled by Steve Harper in the box, but John Carew blasted the resulting penalty miles over the bar.

Just two minutes later and Newcastle were on their way when Joey Barton - who had vowed to shave off his much-ridiculed moustache with a victory - struck a sublime 25 yard effort into the top left-hand corner.

Kevin Nolan then hit a brace (31, 87) but it was Carroll who stole the headlines with a fine hat-trick (34, 67, 90) to send a delighted crowd of 43,546 at St James' Park into raptures.

It was the perfect response for Chris Hughton's men after the Magpies' Premier League return began in sobering fashion with a 3-0 defeat at Manchester United six days ago.

The Magpies were handed a further boost at half-time when they announced the signing, subject to a work permit, of Ivory Coast international Cheick Tiote from Dutch club FC Twente.

But for managerless Villa, who ultimately sent the Magpies down in May last year, their trip to the North East was little short of disastrous.

Newcastle boss Hughton spent much of the summer acknowledging that this season would present far tougher challenges than last season's Championship romp, and his caveats were echoed by managing director Derek Llambias in his programme notes for the game.

Lone strikerHughton, perhaps wary of the pace within the Villa ranks, once again fielded 21-year-old Carroll as a lone striker and charged skipper Nolan with the task of getting forward to support him.

With Stephen Ireland among the Villa ranks for the first time on his 24th birthday, the visitors arrived having been installed once again as one of the candidates to push the big boys all the way, and their afternoon might have turned out differently had they taken the glorious opportunity which came their way with just 10 minutes gone.

Keeper Harper was stunned to see referee Martin Atkinson pointing to the spot after Young had gone down as he attempted to round him.

Few inside St James' Park expected anything other than Carew to ram the resulting spot-kick into the back of the net, but the striker blasted his effort high over the bar.

Just how costly the miss would prove became abundantly clear before half-time as the Magpies made the most of their great escape.

There were just two more minutes on the clock when Barton picked up the ball 30 yards out, made a little ground and steadied himself before smashing a dipping right-foot shot over Brad Friedel's despairing dive.

Villa then looked unlucky not to be back on level terms on 24 minutes when Ashley Young had the ball in the net but was adjudged to be offside.

The Magpies again took full advantage of the let-off and just after the hour mark Jose Enrique got forward down the left and delivered an inviting cross to the back post for Carroll to head back towards Nolan.

Responded swiftlyThe midfielder's initial effort was parried by Friedel, but Nolan responded swiftly to head the rebound home from four yards.

Carroll - watched by Alan Shearer, the man who wore the number nine shirt he has now inherited - did not have to wait long for his chance and when it arrived three minutes later, he was not found wanting.

Richard Dunne failed to clear Mike Williamson's header back across goal from a Barton corner and the ball dropped perfectly for the striker to thump a left-foot drive home.

Villa left the field reflecting on a half during which they had enjoyed plenty of possession, but done too little with it, and on a defensive display which verged on the criminally negligent.

Newcastle returned in confident mood, but all the while aware that the visitors still represented a threat, although there was little evidence of that as the game approached the hour mark, prompting Emile Heskey's arrival in place of Marc Albrighton.

Indeed, the Magpies would have been further ahead with 62 minutes gone had Friedel not made a vital save from Wayne Routledge after Carroll and Nolan had combined superbly on halfway to play him in.

The respite was only temporary, however, and when Williamson helped the ball over the top into the penalty area five minutes later, Carroll lashed his second home from close range.

The whistle could not come soon enough for the visitors, but it did so only after Nolan had toe-poked home a fifth and Carroll had completed his hat-trick after a one-two with substitute Xisco to make it a memorable afternoon on Tyneside and ensure that Barton's moustache is a thing of the past.

Now lets Kill them at the church Villa Park

UTV

What a superb start,  Albrighton was immense, and was that a farewell Goal by Milner,

Downing   15  

Petrov   40   

Milner  66