Cunha 'so tired and disappointed' as Man United draw 4-4 with Aston Villa

Matheus Cunha has expressed exhaustion and frustration after Manchester United twice came back from two goals down to earn a 4-4 home draw with Aston Villa. The late point at Old Trafford on Sunday leaves the Red Devils 18th in the Premier League as they head into the November international break.

Early goals and a late rescue

Cunha played the full 90 minutes after inspiring a midweek 3-2 Champions League comeback win over Roma. He won a penalty in the 16th minute when fouled by Boubacar Kamara, and he also tested keeper Zion Suzuki from distance. Bruno Fernandes converted the spot-kick, but Villa responded through Alysson and Nicolas Jackson before Youri Tielemans levelled for United. John McGinn's penalty and a Leon Goretzka goal put Villa 4-2 ahead, before Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu scored in stoppage time to salvage a point.

A familiar problem

Questioning why his team only shows urgency after falling behind, Cunha said he was tired and disappointed. He pointed out that after the Roma match the squad had talked about conceding goals and the need to show the mentality to come back into games. He said the team had once again been forced to play like Manchester United and push forward, and that they had shown courage, but only after conceding.

"We showed character after conceding goals," Cunha said. "If we had shown that character and courage before, then we will win more games." He added: "I don't know why we are making it hard for ourselves. We all work hard, and we all want to be the best. We need to change our mentality from the beginning."

Supporters and the table

Cunha also acknowledged the frustration of the Old Trafford crowd. He said fans were fully entitled to be unhappy and that he understood their reaction. In his view, supporters were not against the players; they simply wanted to see the team perform and win games. He said the players and staff needed to look at themselves first, adding that for a club of United's size, being so low in the standings "is not normal".

The statistics underline the scale of the problem. United failed to keep a clean sheet in their opening 10 league matches for the first time since 1986-87. They are winless in eight Premier League games, matching a barren run from April to May 2025, and are now guaranteed to spend at least 15 consecutive days in the relegation zone. That is their longest top-flight stretch in the bottom three since a 28-day spell in September and October 1986.

The two-week pause gives Cunha and his team-mates time to work on their defensive weaknesses. When domestic action resumes in a fortnight, United face a difficult home test against rivals Liverpool.