Photo: Collected
Manchester United had fallen 2-0 behind against Roma at Old Trafford. From there the side staged a superb comeback to win 3-2, allowing under-pressure coach Michael Carrick to breathe a sigh of relief for now.
Roma went 2-0 up within the first 20 minutes of the match through goals from Matías Soulé and Donyell Malen. The home supporters erupted in jubilation.
After a Bruno Fernandes penalty, a brace from Matheus Cunha sealed United’s win. It also ended the side’s nine-match winless run in all competitions.
Carrick said, ‘This ground makes incredible things happen, it creates magical moments. At half-time I talked a little with the players about how this ground can change a situation. Sometimes one moment is enough. That is exactly what happened today. The boys made the most of every small opportunity. In the end we were rewarded with a great win.’
United’s lifeless first-half display made it seem as if the decision to keep Carrick in charge for a while longer had backfired.
But Roma could not forget the memory of their four previous defeats at Old Trafford. They let another Champions League match slip away dramatically.
Just last month, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side were 3-1 up against Real Madrid before conceding three goals in the last eight minutes to lose 4-3.
Gasperini said, ‘A match lasts 90 minutes. In the second half they raised the tempo of their game. But we should have done more to hold on to the scoreline.’
Angered by Lisandro Martínez’s needless red card in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Chelsea, Carrick left the Argentine defender out of the starting line-up. It did not help much; Roma tore apart United’s disorganised defence in the first 20 minutes.
In the 11th minute, Soulé found plenty of space after a pass from Rodrigo Mora, then beat Senne Lammens to put the ball in the net.
A little later United’s left side of defence was exposed again. Roma were awarded a penalty when Soulé’s shot struck Ayden Heaven’s outstretched arm, and Malen doubled the lead from the spot.
Midway through the first half play was halted for a while as supporters threw tennis balls onto the pitch. At this time the supporters chanted slogans demanding that United’s American owners, the Glazer family, sell the club.
United suffered another blow as soon as the second half began. Carlos Baleba, signed for £70 million, was forced off with a hamstring injury as he entered the Roma box. Shortly before the hour mark fortune favoured Carrick’s side — Cunha won a penalty against Gianluca Mancini.
Roma’s third-choice goalkeeper Devis Vásquez saved Fernandes’s first penalty. But because Roma players had encroached into the box early, United were given the chance to retake it. Captain Fernandes made no mistake the second time; he sent a powerful shot into the net to begin the comeback.
Seconds later, Bryan Mbeumo’s shot from a Cunha pass hit the inside of both posts and came back out.
Seven minutes from the end, Roma themselves gave United the chance to draw level. When Leonardo Balerdi failed to connect in open space, Cunha easily pushed the ball into the net.
Three minutes later the Brazilian forward beat Vásquez with a powerful shot to score his second goal, then ran to celebrate with the supporters in the stands. He paid a heavy price for that celebration. Cunha was first shown a yellow card, and later in added time he was sent off after a second yellow for lunging dangerously at an opponent.
Even with 10 men, United held on to the win in the end. After two successive defeats to Atlético Madrid and Como, the win has brought fresh life to the side in the Champions League.
Only time will tell whether this win will be a turning point for Carrick or merely a temporary relief.
Background
According to an ESPN report of 22 May, Michael Carrick, who took interim charge in January after Rúben Amorim was sacked, became permanent head coach on a two-year contract after taking the team into the Champions League.
According to the Irish Examiner’s count of 31 October, the nine-match winless run in all competitions was United’s worst run since November 1988.
Sources
Background sources: ESPN, 22 May 2026; Irish Examiner, 31 October 2026
