London (AFP) – Manchester United are rooted in the Premier League relegation zone despite a dramatic late rally to rescue a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa.

Issued on: 08/11/2026 - 22:03

Arsenal have rarely hit top gear but a 1-0 win over Hull stretched their lead at the top to five points over surprise challengers Brighton, while slumping Manchester City suffered a shock loss at Nottingham Forest.

Liverpool climbed into fourth with a 3-1 win at Crystal Palace that could spell the end of Pierre Sage's short reign in charge of the Eagles.

AFP Sports looks at three talking points from the Premier League weekend:

Crunch time for Carrick

A rollercoaster afternoon at Old Trafford did little to clarify Michael Carrick's future as United manager.

The Red Devils demonstrated their powers of recovery to twice come back from two goals down against Villa, as they also did to beat Roma 3-2 in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Yet an eight-game run without a Premier League win has plunged the 20-time English champions into the relegation zone for the first time at this stage of the season in 40 years.

Carrick was handed a stay of execution until the upcoming international break to turn things around.

The former United midfielder was bullish that he will still remain in charge when his side make the trip to face Liverpool in two weeks' time.

Now the focus turns on his employers to make the call on his future, with former Newcastle boss Eddie Howe and ex-Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann among the candidates to take over if Carrick is sacked.

Reality sinks in for City

Manchester City's third consecutive Premier League defeat dealt another blow to their title hopes -- if they were even really in the race to begin with.

Enzo Maresca made a flawless start to the daunting task of succeeding Pep Guardiola.

The Italian became the first coach to win his first seven Premier League matches in charge of a new club.

Two of those victories came after City were found guilty on over 100 charges of breaking financial rules.

But the uncertainty surrounding City has bled into unconvincing performances on the pitch.

Maresca bemoaned his side's inability to match Forest's intensity at the City Ground.

Maintaining the motivation of his players to try and chase down Arsenal at the top of the table is a huge challenge for the City boss when even good results might count for little.

Unless City overturn the initial ruling on appeal, they are expected to be handed a severe points deduction that could even result in relegation from the English top-flight.

Sage on the chopping block

Pierre Sage may win the unwanted race to become the first Premier League manager of the season to be sacked after Palace sank to the bottom of the table.

The Eagles inability to defend set-pieces has been a consistent scourge of Sage's short reign and cost his side again at Selhurst Park.

A positive first-half performance was undone when Alexis Mac Allister headed in Dominik Szoboszlai's free-kick and Liverpool never looked back.

In an ominous sign for the Frenchman, Palace chairman Steve Parish missed Thursday's Europa League draw against Hoffenheim after travelling to New York to meet with the club's owners.

A two-week international break offers the perfect chance for Palace to make a change, particularly with huge games against relegation rivals Coventry and Hull to come next.

© 2026 AFP

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