McGinn describes ‘harsh lesson’

John McGinn admitted Aston Villa’s 4-4 draw with Manchester United on Sunday represented a “harsh lesson” for he and his team-mates.

Unai Emery’s men held a 4-2 lead at Old Trafford heading into stoppage time, having gone 2-0 up inside four minutes at the beginning of the first half.

The Villa captain bemoaned the late goals conceded and felt we needed to be stronger in the closing stages.

“Obviously, in a very strong position to win the game,” McGinn said.

“We’ve experienced it enough here, you need to defend until the 95th minute and beyond.

“We have to manage these moments better. Not a lot of teams will come here 2-0 and give goals away.

“We have to defend better in those positions. In the last 10 minutes of each half, we have to manage better.

“We’re a very inexperienced team at the moment. It’s a harsh lesson and one we need to learn from fast.”

The late goals denied Villa a first win at Old Trafford in over five years, and McGinn admitted it leaves a sour taste ahead of the November international break.

Asked if Villa’s record at Old Trafford contributed in the closing stages, he added: “Not for those moments. If you’re playing against any team in the Premier League, you need to stay focused for the team.

“We gave them a chance to get the corner again. We need to get tighter.

“We lost two points. We threw it away. The last five minutes were just madness. It’s going to sting.

“The manager is a winner, he’ll be hurting the way we are. We go play international football, but he’ll dwell on it for two weeks.”