Manchester United staged an incredible second-half comeback to recover from two early goals and beat Roma 3-2 in the Champions League.
With manager Michael Carrick under extreme pressure, his players on Tuesday night showed the kind of form that has deserted them in recent months.
United trailed 2-0 after 17 minutes – the first time an opposing team had scored twice at Old Trafford in a major European competition.
The first came after a Diogo Dalot error allowed Matias Soule to score, before Donyell Malen added a penalty after an Ayden Heaven handball. Carrick’s side appeared listless as the crowd went from anger to hushed silence, watching various moves fall apart. There were boos as the players left the field at halftime.
The second half then got off to a poor start as United midfielder Carlos Baleba was forced off after going down following a promising run. The 22-year-old limped off the field holding his right hamstring, having recently returned from an ankle injury.
But then United were awarded a penalty and captain Bruno Fernandes stepped up to take it. His initial failure seemed to sum up United’s malaise, but he was pardoned thanks to Bryan Cristante’s encroachment and dispatched the restart to safety. Suddenly the mood on the pitch was positive, as the home fans supported their team.
United equalized in the final 10 minutes as Matheus Cunha capitalized on a defensive error, before adding a winning goal to send the home crowd wild. Five minutes later he left the field after a second caution earned him a red card. It capped off a crazy evening.
Laurie Whitwell and Cerys Jones detail the talking points.
What led to this incredible comeback?
This comeback couldn’t have been more complicated, more chaotic or luckier – whatever adjective you want to use. United showed so little professionalism and quality in the first half that it was almost impossible to imagine them changing the situation. But the adrenaline pushed them to cross the finish line.
First came the penalty won by Fernandes, and what could have been a symbol of United’s helplessness and misfortune turned into a lifeline. Cunha had celebrated fiercely as the penalty was awarded, and Old Trafford was invigorated to a degree that spoke of desperation. That strength briefly fueled the home side before energy levels dropped again and it looked like the restart was going to fail.
Then came another stroke of luck for United when Leonardo Balerdi inexplicably allowed Fernandes’ cross to reach Cunha at the far post. The Brazilian striker kept his cool from close range to equalize with seven minutes of the 90 remaining.
The third goal is the one that will be remembered.
Substitute Shea Lacey brilliantly weighted his pass to play in Cunha, who still had a tricky finish to pull off, but he struck the ball with such force that it seemed personal and left goalkeeper Devis Vasquez with no chance.
It was weird, moving, aggressive, disjointed. But United secured a victory tonight that couldn’t have been more desperately needed.
Cerys Jones
What now for Carrick?
Does this resurrect Carrick’s tenure as United head coach? It is difficult to ignore the emotion that such an occasion can arouse. Supporters chanted his name enthusiastically as he threw a celebratory fist bump at them as he left the field. Perhaps this return can revitalize his team.
It certainly wasn’t pretty, but the character shown speaks volumes about these players and Carrick’s role in leading them. This puts United in a good position to reach the knockout stages in February and March at least.
Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick applauds the supporters after the full-time whistle (Lewis Storey/Getty Images)
Harry Maguire led from the back with determination and no little attacking threat in the air. Fernandes covered every inch of turf. Cunha played furiously.
Can they exploit this unit for the visit of Unai Emery-led Aston Villa on Sunday? Emery is one of the respected managers at United. But this night, one way or another, showed that Carrick could still keep his job.
Laurie Whitwell
Why was Fernandes’ penalty retaken?
The VAR was correct to order a replay of the penalty initially saved by Vasquez, as teammate Cristante was in the box when the ball was kicked and had a direct impact on the play from the rebound.
As Fernandes hit his first attempt, Cristante had his foot on the line (circled below), which is part of the box. When taking a penalty, players can lean into the box, but the position of their feet is crucial.
He would have gone unpunished had he not been immediately involved in hitting Fernandes with the ball after the goalkeeper had parried it (below).
As soon as Cristante played the ball, he committed an encroachment offense, so the kick was rightly retaken.
Graham Scott
What was the fan reaction?
It was a night when Stretford End supporters were planning a visual display of their anger at the club’s management. They waved hundreds of green and gold balloons as the Champions League anthem blared from the stadium’s loudspeakers – the protest colors adopted in 2010 during the revival of campaigns against the Glazers’ ownership of United. Then, in the 20th minute, they threw dozens of tennis balls onto the court, causing a momentary pause as Dalot and Cunha helped remove them.
This second act of mutiny came after United had lost 2-0, with Carrick’s side looking chaotic. “Sell United and f*** home,” they said loudly to United’s owners. Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was the target of another chant, as was director of football Jason Wilcox. Fans near the directors’ box stood up and made V-signs to the executives sitting a few feet away.
It was as mutinous an atmosphere as Old Trafford has seen in recent years.
United players pick up tennis balls thrown onto the pitch by fans in protest (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Before the match, supporters attempted to wipe the slate clean from the last game on the pitch, when players were loudly booed off the pitch following a 3-0 Premier League defeat to Bournemouth. On this occasion, they were applauded in the tunnel after their warm-up. The presence of United alumni Wayne Rooney, Nicky Butt and Ashley Young as pitchside analysts for the Amazon Prime broadcast helped. They had their names chanted, and Rooney responded.
But the action of the match drained the energy from the stands and an awkward silence settled in as the first half progressed. The traveling Roma fans obviously sang happily.
Loud boos greeted the whistle signaling halftime and the players were booed, except for Leny Yoro, who was applauded. The 20-year-old’s final sliding tackle, which denied Rodrigo Mora a clear shooting chance, was United’s best moment of the opening 45 minutes.
But the comeback in the second half created a completely different atmosphere and the home side were cheered from the pitch after their incredible victory.
What did Carrick say?
The United boss praised his team’s resilience after the match, telling Prime Video: “It was a good night. I have to give a lot of credit to the players, who showed that character and quality when we needed it.
“This place does amazing things, magical things, and we talked about it at halftime, about how this place can change in an instant.
“As a team we showed a lot of character. We learn a lot about each other. The players will learn things about me, I definitely learn about them and their character and what it means to them and what they are willing to bring to it.”
Asked what he said to the players at half-time, Carrick said: “Just not to be too disappointed with things. We were doing good things against a very good team – playing man for man you probably get as many failures as you do successes.
“It was about staying positive, and the boys responded so well in the second half.”
He also praised Lacey after her assist for the game-winner. “Thrilled for Shea,” Carrick said. “I love him to pieces: he’s so talented, he desperately wants to succeed. He’s such a good choice.
“Shea is certainly well-liked, the boys respect him a lot. He’s desperate to do well, and he was even defending at right-back at the end! It shows what he’s willing to do.”
Speaking about the weekend, Carrick added: “We have to make the most of it, but I feel a lot better tonight.”
Speaking about Baleba’s injury in his post-match press conference, Carrick said: “It’s his hamstring, so we’ll just have to assess what that looks like. At first it doesn’t look great. Timelines, I don’t have much more to give you.”
What future for United?
Sunday November 8: Aston Villa (home), Premier League, 4:30 p.m. GMT, 11:30 a.m. ET
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