Coutinho continues remarkable record against Man Utd with Villa debut goal

Stefan Bienkowski

• Updated: 15 Jan 2022 13:30 CST
• 3 min read

Few would have expected Philippe Coutinho to hit the ground running at Aston Villa but some Manchester United fans may have suspected that the playmaker would turn it on against their troubled side.

Despite taking a two goal lead in the match thanks to an emphatic double from Bruno Fernandes, Steven Gerrard's side then fought back to claim a point in front of their own fans at Villa Park.

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To the delight of Villa fans, Coutinho played a crucial role in the comeback and immediately won the hearts of his new supporters with the equalising goal in the 82nd minute.

Indeed, this isn't the first time that Coutinho has spoiled the part for Man Utd. Over the course of his varied career, the Brazilian playmaker has made a habit of being a thorn in the club's side.

Coutinho’s record against Man Utd

Although Coutinho may now be known as little more than an extremely expensive flop at Barcelona, it’s easy to forget that he was once a tremendous player for Liverpool in the Premier League.

Indeed, over the course of five years at the Anfield side, the Brazil international bagged an impressive 54 goals and 45 assists in 201 games.

During his time at Liverpool, Coutinho played in no less than nine games against Man Utd in the Premier League and Europa League.

Of those nine games, Coutinho’s side won three, drew four and lost just two - both of which coming in the 2014/15 season. Along the way, the playmaker bagged one goal, which came in the 1-1 draw that secured Liverpool’s route through the Europa League by overcoming their English rivals.

What will perhaps concern Man Utd fans even more is that Coutinho also faced the club twice as a Barca player and helped his side win on both occasions, with a notable goal in the club’s 3-0 win in the 2018/19 quarter finals.

Coutinho then continued that impressive record in his very first game for Villa, when he came on as a late substitute and went on to bag a late equaliser for Gerrard's side. Taking his tally against the Old Trafford side to three.