Matheus Cunha has enjoyed a strong debut season at Manchester United, but one of his worst moments came in the reverse fixture against Aston Villa.
Back in December, Manchester United lost 2-1 to Aston Villa at Villa Park because of two Morgan Rogers goals.
Matheus Cunha scored against Villa on the brink of half-time, and United fans voted Cunha as Man of the Match via our Talking Points platform after full-time.
But while Matheus Cunha did find the back of the net, he will have also left Villa Park knowing he could have single-handedly changed the result for United.
Matheus Cunha celebrates during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Manchester United at Villa Park in 2025 in Birmingham, England.
Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images
What is your verdict on Matheus Cunha’s debut season for Man United?
Matheus Cunha graphic
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Matheus Cunha missed huge opportunity vs Aston Villa
Cunha’s performance against Villa was difficult to assess, as he was easily United’s most involved attacker but he also endured a major blunder in front of goal.
Roy Keane praised Cunha as the “real deal” for his performance against Villa, but in the same sentence, he added that Cunha’s miss in the second half “defies logic”.
Cunha missed a close-range header in the second half despite being just a few yards out from goal.
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As per Manchester Evening News, Gary Neville said Cunha had “got no excuse” to miss the shot.
“Oh my goodness,” Neville said on Sky Sports commentary: “You will have to go a long way to see a worse miss than that.”
On Sunday afternoon, Cunha has a golden opportunity to redeem himself and pick up valuable points against Villa.
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“Cunha’s got that ability, we were very fortunate to play with Yorkie, he could drop back, play in behind, almost like a 10 role.
“Cunha’s ability in terms of his shooting from outside the box, he’s got the pass, he can run in behind. It’s good to see him back.”
Quinton Fortune
Dwight Yorke and Matheus Cunha split image
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Matheus Cunha’s career record vs Aston Villa
Having spent two years at Wolves, Cunha is used to calling Aston Villa a fierce rival, and his recent record against the Birmingham-based side is impressive.
Cunha has faced Villa six times throughout his career and been on the winning side twice.
Matheus Cunha Wins Draws Defeats Goals scored
Record vs Villa 2 2 2 3
READ MORE: ‘The giant is sleeping’… Matheus Cunha comments on ‘extraordinary’ Man Utd
Interestingly, Cunha has scored all three of his goals against Villa in his last three meetings, meaning he should enter Sunday’s clash full of confidence.
United are pursuing Champions League qualification this season and with Villa level on points in the Premier League table, Sunday’s result is highly significant.
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