Football Daily | Manchester United, Aston Villa and the unseriousness of a 4-4 draw

6%). It was about time we got one, though. The months of August and September, when teams are still fighting to define their top-flight seasons and fitness and motivation tend to be at their peak, have never seen a single 4-4 draw. As motivation decreases the chances of stupid scorelines increase, and that’s where the 4-4 creeps in. There’s a certain on-the-beachness inherent in the score, and it is no coincidence that it has occurred more in the second half of April, as thoughts drift to the close season and the ineffable pointlessness of a lot of late-campaign football becomes unavoidable, than in the entirety of any other month.