Manchester United v Aston Villa FC - Premier League 2026/27 - Source: Getty
Manchester United v Aston Villa FC - Premier League 2026/27 - Source: Getty
Matheus Cunha says he has no answer for Manchester United's habit of making life hard for themselves, after a 4-4 draw with Aston Villa that rescued a point and still left his team in the relegation zone.
Cunha was central to both recoveries at Old Trafford. Alysson and Nicolas Jackson had put Villa two up inside four minutes; Cunha won the penalty Boubacar Kamara conceded, which Bruno Fernandes converted, and Youri Tielemans equalized against his former club before half-time.
John McGinn's penalty, after Diogo Dalot's challenge on Alysson, and a Leon Goretzka finish restored the visitors' cushion, and only stoppage-time goals from substitutes Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu made it 4-4. Cunha had done the same job in Tuesday's 3-2 Champions League win over Roma, when he won the penalty that started the fightback and scored twice.
Speaking after the match, Cunha said (via utdreport on X):
“I'm so tired and also disappointed. After the other night we talked about how we concede goals and have the mentality to come back in the game. We did it again where we had to play like Manchester United and go forward.
"We showed courage but we only do this after we concede goals. We showed character after conceding goals. If we had shown that character and courage before then we will win more games. 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.”
The frustration is with the pattern rather than the effort. Cunha wants the courage and character his side shows once it is behind to be there from kick-off, which is the standard he believes Manchester United should be setting every week.
Manchester United's form this season under Michael Carrick
The draw leaves Manchester United 18th with eight points from 10 league games, one point from safety and a single Premier League win since August. They have not won any of their last eight league matches and have three victories from 15 games in all competitions.
Carrick's first months in charge brought a quick improvement last season, and United are in the Champions League this season. In the league, though, the same errors keep repeating: two goals conceded inside four minutes here, and two more inside eight minutes of the second half.
Carrick said on Friday that “consistency is the key.” The board is reported to be ready to reassess during the international break, with Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann reported as leading contenders, and Manchester United travel to Liverpool on November 22.