84 min Fernandes should be running the show, but it’s actually Ross Barkley. He sends a fine through ball down the right, where Dorgu has to pull off a sliding tackle.

83 min Michael Carrick decides it’s time for one last throw of the dice. He removes Mbeumo, who has been tireless but toothless, and sends on Joshua Zirkzee, who would be an unlikely saviour.

82 min A few United fans are trickling out. The rest are still making plenty of noise, but it feels as if they’re amusing themselves rather than rousing the troops for another famous fightback.

80 min Fernandes sends a through ball to Dorgu, who is too rusty to control it.

79 min Villa knock the ball around, which is all they have to do now to secure their fourth league win at Old Trafford in 70 years.

78 min Two more Villa subs, both alliterative: Mbaye for Manzambi, Gomes for Goretzka.

76 min Lacey wins a corner, which leads to another. Eventually there’s a half-chance for Mbeumo, who sends it wide.

75 min United’s passing has become disjointed, not that this is their biggest problem.

72 min … and another: Alysson off, Ross Barkley on. So three goalscorers have now left the stage.

71 min Villa sub: McGinn, after playing well and getting an assist as well as a penalty, gives way to George Hemmings…

71 min A box shows that United have now conceded 30 goals this season, making them joint top of the Leakiest Defence League – in Europe. They share this dubious honour with Palace and Sassuolo.

70 min Cunha gets a shot on target, and then Fernandes finds Row Z.

69 min Lacey gives the ball away near the half-way line and concedes a free kick as he tries to make amends.

67 min Lacey has already sent in a cross. A moment later, Mbeumo slides a shot past the near post.

66 min Here come the subs, as advertised. Off go Tielemans (who scored), Dalot (who had, sad to say, a shocker) and Amad (who was better than the other night).

64 min Carrick, who has nothing to lose now, is preparing three subs: Mount, Dorgu and Lacey.

62 min Fernandes plays a square pass to Cunha, whose shot goes wide. There seems to have been a deflection as it brings a corner, which comes to nowt.

61 min Amad wins a free kick off Goretzka. A chance for Fernandes to get a rare assist?

60 min A United attack, patient by the standards of this crazy match, leads to another left-foot shot from Tielemans, not nearly as good as the one that supplied the equaliser.

60 min United, who had crept up to 18th, are now 19th again, saved from the bottom only by their goal difference. It’s bad (-7), but only half as bad as Palace’s (-14).

57 min Mbeumo, slipped in by Cunha, gets a shot on target but (a) it’s easily saved and (b) the flag is up.

56 min Tielemans, who was so good for half an hour, now plays a hospital pass and the upshot is that Heaven goes into the book for stopping a quick break.

55 min Carrick, seeing that, bowed his head and pinched the furrow between his eyes, as if he couldn’t believe them.

52 min McGinn wins a free kick off Fernandes, whose reaction you may just be able to guess.

51 min Mazraoui gets away down the right, only to send his cross curling out for a goal kick.

50 min That wasn’t in the script. But it was on brand for poor Dalot.

46 min United sub: Maguire is off, presumed injured. Ayden Heaven is on – not the more experienced Matthijs de Ligt.

On Sky, Roy Keane and Ashley Young (who played for both clubs) have been giving their views. They blame Diogo Dalot more than Senne Lammens for the Villa goals. Keane thinks United are still too open at the back, but they’ve done well since going 2-0 down. “They’ve put in the running.”

They lead on shots (12-6), shots on target (5-3) and corners (4-1).

“The League should do something about it,” says Loig Allix Van Thi. About what? “Jackson’s throat-slash signature celebration is just unacceptable. End of.”

“At the stroke of halftime,” says Peter Oh, “the Telemundo broadcast I’m watching here in California showed an ad for a global fast food chain touting a new menu item called a Crunchadilla. Either my glasses aren’t on or my faith in Unai Emery is at a low ebb because I read it as Crunchdavilla.”

45+3 min Has Fernandes conceded a pen here? No – it was a high boot, and Alysson went down in a heap, but the VAR cleared it swiftly.

45+2 min Big chance for Villa! Goretzka sends a through ball to Alysson, whose neat dink over Lammens goes just wide.

45+1 min There will be three added minutes after this one.

43 min Chance for Amad! Villa lose the ball playing out and Amad’s shot is well saved by Suzuki, when it should be nestling in the far corner. But then …

42 min Yoro makes not one neat interception but two, turning defence into attack, but nothing comes of either. The camera finds Robin van Persie, looking distinguished.

40 min McGinn’s chip finds the head of Pau Torres, but he sends the ball over the bar.

38 min Manzambi wins a free kick on the corner of the box as Mazraoui makes a clumsy challenge.

35 min Tielemans, who is coming into the game, wins a couple of duels against his old mates. A moment later he plays a crisp pass to Amad, whose shot from the right goes skimming past the far post.

35 min Amad shows his brighter side by running onto a lovely chip from Mainoo, but he can’t quite pluck it out of the air.

34 min Amad fouls Maatsen rather needlessly, but in Villa’s half. In the stands, green and gold scarves are being brandished.

33 min A caption informs us about United’s home record against Villa in the league since 1956. Won 43, lost three. They’ll be doing well if they keep that going.

32 min Fernandes’ free kick eludes everybody, though Suzuki may have got a touch that went undetected. Villa get up the other end, where Mainoo is needed to put in a sliding tackle on someone.

30 min Mbeumo wins a free kick, 25 yards out on the right. And United have now gone a full 25 minutes without conceding.

28 min It’s breathless stuff now. United counter and Fernandes fizzes in a fine cross-or-shot, which Suzuki gets down to save. And then Amad goes just wide with a calm side-footer from 12 yards out.

27 min Another chance for United! Good work by Amad down the right and the ball comes out to Fernandes, whose shot is deflected just wide. From the resulting corner, Mbeumo tries a shot which is tipped wide by Suzuki. From the corner after that, Mainoo’s shot draws a save from Suzuki.

24 min Chance for United! Tielemans sends a classy switch over to Cunha, who takes one of his better long shots – curling in at the far post, until Suzuki tips it round the post. From the resulting corner, Suzuki fumbles the ball but gets away with it.

24 min Fans have not been leaving in droves, as far as I can see.

23 min Maatsen bursts down the left, only to be stopped by Amad.

21 min Jackson, showing the uses of a No 9, holds the ball up, then threatens to run in behind before being seen out.

20 min Fernandes, on the right, tries to slip in Tielemans, who may not be much enjoying his reunion so far.

19 min If any fans are planning to leave after 21 minutes, they’ll have got their money’s worth.

18 min Matheus Cunha’s week so far: two goals scored, two penalties won.

17 min Michael Carrick watched the penalty but didn’t punch the air.

The pen is confirmed. Two-nil down and getting a pen … ring a bell?

13 min Manzambi dances into the box, but United do some defending!

11 min Dalot sends in a cross which is intercepted just as Mbeumo lines up a scissor kick. It’s been very open so far.

10 min United manage a shot! But Fernandes drags it wide.

9 min Dalot robs the advancing Lindelof. Cunha goes down the left and puts a cross into the box, which is easily mopped up.

8 min The attack peters out. But this is still the earliest United have ever been 2-0 down in a Premier League game at home.

7 min …but Villa break again and Alysson’s latest shot is deflected for a corner.

6 min Breaking news: United are in Villa’s half.

4 min The attack went down the left before a simple switch found Alysson in space, helped by a mis-chest from Mazraoui. Now Villa are on the left again, with a free kick…

2 min Alysson’s shot from the right went through Senne Lammens’ legs.

1 min Villa kick off and go back to the keeper, Suzuki.

The silence gives way to a warm cheer. And then another refrain of “We want Glazers out!”

Wreaths are laid in the centre circle to mark Remembrance Sunday. “Age shall not weary them,” says the announcer. The Last Post rings out, and the silence is impeccable.

Bruno Fernandes leads United out. It feels as if he is the central figure here, and the key. After acking up the assists at will last season, he hasn’t had one since that win over Ipswich – but he did play better against Roma on Tuesday.

Here’s my colleague Will Unwin, who is at Old Trafford. “‘We don’t want a new stadium, we want new owners’ is the banner hanging in the Stretford End, while green and gold balloons fly around the stand. The fans are chanting for the Glazers and Sir Jim Ratcliffe to depart with some rather fruity language. More protests are expected during the game.”

More on the Stranglers, who are showing impressive staying power given that they only appeared here by mistake. “I think the Stranglers’ tune [sic] that MUFC are looking for here,” says John Stedman, “is Something Better Change.”

“MBM’s curse?” says Dave Estherby. “Nothing, nothing, would be funnier than Utd 1-11 Villa this afternoon...”

Ha, well, one man’s joke is another man’s poison.

More on those United protests. “Not sure if you’re aware, or how widespread it is,” says Jemma Robinson, “but lots of season ticket holders ‘sent back’ their tickets today which is why the match was on general sale (never happens) and there’s also supposed to be a walkout at 21 minutes, so will be interesting to see which one is more successful and whether you’ll see it emptying or an Old Trafford filled with non-regulars.” That last eventuality might not be easy to spot.

”Hoping Carrick does well given he’s one of my Man Utd favourites, but torn as the club ownership/general situation is awful.”

Jemma, I suspect you speak for millions of fans.

Sunderland have clung on to beat Chelsea 1-0, which is a great result for them. And yet another embarrassment for Man United. They now have fewer wins than any other team in the Premier League – just the one, against Ipswich, back in August.

A draw today will take them above Sunderland on goal difference, but they’ll still be in the bottom three. To lift them out of the relegation zone, and the league doldrums, only a win will do. If they manage it, they will go roaring up to 16th.

For Villa, who are 12th as it stands, a draw will be enough to get them into the top half of the table, above Newcastle and Spurs. And a win will launch them into the top eight, above Brentford and Leeds.

Full table here.

The second email is picking up on the first. “I think Rick was actually thinking of ‘No More Heroes' by The Stranglers,” says Will Cook, “when referring to Manchester United.”

Fair enough, in the league – but Matheus Cunha produced some heroics against Roma, didn’t he?

Instant correction! Palace won a penalty in added time to make it 1-3, so United now need to avoid defeat by ten goals to stay off the bottom.

United will not be bottom of the table tonight. They’ve been rescued by their old friends Liverpool, who are now 3-0 up at Selhurst Park thanks to Alexander Isak. Palace’s goal difference has sunk to -15, so United will stay above them as long as they can avoid losing by an 11-goal margin.

The first email comes from Rick Harris. “I imagine Unai Emery as a Stranglers fan,” he says, “singing ‘Should I stay or should I go’ every day on the way to work. Staying at Villa is accepting that he is a second tier manager. Going to United is a gamble but it is his best chance of joining the elite managers club. What’s the worst that can happen? Get sacked after a season and a half and go back to Villareal?”

That’s a good point, and much more tactful than Jamie Carragher. But, at the risk of being pedantic, I thought it was The Clash?

Things must be bad at United: there’s a Booze Boycott. Several groups of fans, including The 1958, have got together to say “Reclaim our colours [the green and gold]. Direct the anger at the ownership.” And… “Do not buy drinks inside Old Trafford.” If you’re there, do let us know whether this is having an impact.