Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz attributed his goal celebration in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United to the joyous atmosphere of ‘carnival time in Brazil.’ Despite Villa facing a third consecutive home defeat, with Scott McTominay’s 86th-minute winner sealing the outcome, Luiz had earlier brought Villa level. His goal came from close range, capitalizing on United’s failure to clear a corner convincingly. Villa had initially fallen behind in the 17th minute when Rasmus Hojlund scored his 11th goal of the season.
After redirecting Leon Bailey’s shot into the net past United’s goalkeeper Andre Onana, Douglas Luiz, who has notched eight goals in all competitions this season, celebrated with a unique chest shimmy in front of the Holte End. The distinctive celebration caught the attention of former United defender Rio Ferdinand, who posted an image of Luiz’s shimmy on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), with a lighthearted inquiry: “U ok @dgoficial,” along with a crying emoji and three laughing faces.
Luiz responded to Ferdinand’s question more than 12 hours later, stating, “I’m good, thanks. It’s just carnival time in Brazil,” accompanied by the Brazilian flag emoji. The exchange highlighted the playful interaction between the players on social media, offering insight into Luiz’s cultural nod to Brazil’s carnival festivities.
Though Villa, at the time of their equaliser, were full value for their goal, Luiz’s samba shimmy celebration turned out to be premature, with United restoring their lead 19 minutes later via McTominay’s eighth goal of the campaign. He rose highest to connect with Diogo Dalot’s pinpoint centre from the right and seal what was an unlikely victory.
