Cunha fumes after United concede twice in four minutes to draw 4-4 with Villa

Matheus Cunha admitted he was “so disappointed” after Manchester United conceded two goals inside the opening four minutes against Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday, with the sides sharing a chaotic 4-4 Premier League draw.

The early collapse was particularly galling for Cunha because United had spoken directly about the problem just days earlier. Michael Carrick’s side had fallen two goals behind against Roma in the Champions League before staging a second-half comeback to win 3-2, and the squad had discussed how to avoid repeating that pattern.

“After the other night we talked a lot about how not to concede goals and then change our mentality to come again,” Cunha told reporters after the match. “We did it again, conceded goals. We can’t do that. We need to play like Man United and go forward and create chances, play with more courage. After we concede goals, we show character, but if we do this before, we can win much more games.”

Asked why the same problem keeps resurfacing, the Brazilian forward admitted there were no easy answers. “I don’t know — everyone tries to get answers for that. We want to be the best and show that we can come back. We need to show the mentality to do this from the start.”

United’s struggles have left them in the relegation zone, and frustration among supporters was visible during the game. Cunha was sympathetic to the mood in the stands, while urging the squad to look inward.

“Before we played everyone is a fan. You understand why they are frustrated. This is completely fine, we understand,” he said. “We are on the pitch and we need to manage this. We need to change the mentality — be in the game.”

Cunha was clear that the responsibility lies with the players and staff rather than the supporters. “It’s a huge club, and to feel something like this is not normal — we need to come back. We need to learn from the last seasons. We cannot do the same things. We’re good enough to go and change our situation.”

Despite the point salvaged from a remarkable eight-goal thriller, the recurring defensive frailty in the opening stages of matches remains a pressing concern for Carrick as United look to climb away from danger.