Birmingham: Nemanja Vidic completed Manchester United's fightback at Aston Villa on Saturday with a late header securing a 2-2 draw to preserve his team's unbeaten start to the Premier League season.
Villa had led 2-0 entering the last 10 minutes after Ashley Young scored from the penalty spot and Marc Albrighton completed a swift counterattack in the 76th.
But having given away the ball that led to Villa's second, Federico Macheda pulled one back in the 81st and Vidic nodded in Nani's cross four minutes later to salvage a point.
"We could have lost six goals in the second half," United manager Alex Ferguson said. "They hit the woodwork twice and their outside right, Marc Albrighton, has missed two great chances. We were all over the place, to be honest with you.
"We waited too long to get intensity, that desire to win, into our game. It didn't show until (the team was 2-0 down) ... all their young players, with their energy, made it a very difficult day for us."
After 13 matches, second-place United is three points behind leader Chelsea, which hosts Sunderland on Sunday.
While Villa remains unbeaten at home this season despite having nine players missing through injury or illness, manager Gerard Houllier was frustrated at his team's inability to protect a lead.
"It's Manchester United and even at 2-0 you are not safe," Houllier said. "I think the first goal, which was a fantastic goal, gave them a big boost of confidence.
"We've created a lot of chances but we didn't manage to put it in the back of the net and I was disappointed for the lads. For some of them starting against Manchester Untied it's a real dream."
It looked set to be frustrating day for Villa as it was twice denied by the goal frame just before Young's opener.
James Collins headed against the crossbar from Stewart Downing's cross and Gabriel Agbonlahor's shot hit the post after Young's initial effort had been blocked.
But Villa's pressure finally paid off when Young scored from the spot after he was brought down by Wes Brown as he attempted to meet Agbonlahor's pass.
Ferguson responded by replacing Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez with Macheda and Gabriel Obertan.
But Villa went further ahead after Macheda conceded possession in the United defense. Young led the breakaway charge down the left flank and slipped the ball through to Downing, who whipped in a cross that Albrighton slid home from close range.
"The emotion with which Villa played kept them at a high boiling point," Ferguson said. "Tackles — some of them today were fair, some of them weren't, but the referee allowed things to go — can sometimes make for a great game. And we saw a great game today."
United produced a rapid response to going two down, with Rio Ferdinand's header cleared off the line by Albrighton.
Macheda then reduced the deficit with a 20-meter (yard) strike after Darren Fletcher back-heeled the ball back into the Italian striker's path.
Nani then twisted and turned before picking out Vidic at the far post where the captain sent a diving header past American goalkeeper Brad Friedel.
Having been kept quiet until the last 10 minutes, Friedel blocked Obertan in stoppage time.
"Another five minutes — we would have won the match," Ferguson said. "But we waited too long."
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