Mixed emotions for Cash

Matty Cash had mixed emotions after Aston Villa’s goalless draw against Manchester United.

The two sides could not be separated at Villa Park following an evenly-balanced encounter in which defence ruled over attack.

Bruno Fernandes crashed a 25-yard strike against the crossbar while Jaden Philogene saw his goalbound effort blocked by Diogo Dalot in injury time.

It was a clean sheet for Cash, who was making his first appearance since the end of August having returned from injury.

And he was in reflective mood when speaking to VillaTV post-match.

“Great, on a personal note, to be out there,” he said.

“I’ve worked hard for this moment over the last five weeks to keep myself in good shape.

“Disappointed to not get three points but Manchester United are a good team.

“Overall, in the long run, a point could be good for us but the demands we set on ourselves, we want to win every game at home.

“In the long run, it could be a positive point.”

Villa went into the encounter having enjoyed their best start to a Premier League season since 2008/09, collecting 13 points from their opening six matches.

The draw against United, on the back of our 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich, moves Unai Emery’s side eight matches unbeaten in all competitions, winning six and drawing two.

And they now head into the October international period fifth in the Premier League table.

“I wouldn’t say we’re happy (with a point),” added Cash.

“As I say, the demands of every match we go into at home, we want to win, we make sure we try to do everything we can to get that result.

“But, obviously, you’ve got to respect Manchester United, they’re a good team with world-class players.

“I think we had moments in the game where we could have put it to bed.

“It’s a point, you have to move on, we’ve got a little break now and we go again against Fulham.”