Aston Villa appeared to be heading for an impressive victory after taking a two-goal advantage into stoppage time, but late strikes from Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu rescued a point for Manchester United.
The visitors had led 2-0 through Alysson and Nicolas Jackson before Bruno Fernandes and Youri Tielemans brought United level. John McGinn and Leon Goretzka then put Villa back in control, only for their defensive collapse in the closing minutes to cost them victory.
Villa captain McGinn admitted his side had failed to manage the decisive moments.
“Obviously, in a very strong position to win the game. We've experienced it enough here, you need to defend until the 95th minute and beyond. We didn't manage the first half enough. We have a very young team and it's a learning experience today,” he told Sky Sports.
McGinn was particularly critical of the defending that allowed United to get back into the contest.
“We were pretty comfortable, to be honest, and then the third goal goes in. I've seen it more than the fourth. It's very naive. We need to defend it better as a team. It's a very poor goal,” he said.
“It's a harsh lesson and one we need to learn from fast.”
The midfielder also stressed that Villa could not afford to lose concentration simply because of their opponents' position in the table.
“Not for those moments, if you're playing against any team in the Premier League, you need to stay focused for the team,” he said when asked whether Villa's poor record at Old Trafford had played a part.
“We gave them a chance to get the corner again. We need to get tighter. I haven't seen it back properly, so I don't know if it's a foul or not on the goalkeeper, but it gives them the chance to equalise.”
Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, McGinn was even more direct about the consequences of Villa's late defending.
“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,” he said.
“We lost two points. We threw it away. The last five minutes were just madness. It's going to sting.”
McGinn added that manager Unai Emery would be equally disappointed, with Villa now having to reflect on a result that slipped away in the closing stages.