With literally nothing left to lose for Manchester United and Michael Carrick, the mood coming into another Champions League game was on the floor, and despite the bookies having United as favourites, the opening span of the game went as we’d expected over this season as United fell 2-0 behind inside the opening 20 minutes and looked destined for another tough evening.

However, Matheus Cunha and co dragged United kicking and screaming back into the game, utilising a fair amount of luck along the way. With a twice-taken penalty, Bruno got United’s first before Cunha was spurred on by a rampant crowd backing their team in spite of the earlier protest and previous few weeks of chaos, producing what could be a turning point result in their season.

As always, if you have any thoughts on Manchester United this season, get in touch with us by leaving a comment, following us on Bluesky (@NextGoalWinner) or Instagram (@NextGoalWin) and checking out our YouTube channel (@NextGoalWinner).

Teams

Manchester United: Lammens, Dalot, Heaven (Martinez 75′), Maguire (De Ligt 88′), Yoro, Mainoo, Baleba (Tielemans 51′), Cunha, Fernandes (Mount 88′), Amad (Lacey 75′), Mbeumo

Subs: Darlow, Heaton, Mazraoui, Santos, Amass, Fletcher, Zirkzee

Roma: Vasquez, Hermoso (N’Dicka 76′), Balerdi, Mancini (Ghilardi 75′), Wesley, De Roon, Cristante, Rensch (Lulli 21′), Mora (Pisilli 46′), Soule, Malen (Castro 78′)

Subs: De Marzi, Koulierakis, Molina, Di Nunzio

Manchester United 3-2 Roma

Manchester United produced a sensational second-half comeback to defeat Roma 3-2 at Old Trafford on Tuesday night, turning what looked destined to be another miserable evening into a memorable Champions League victory. With Michael Carrick’s position under increasing scrutiny following a disappointing run of results, the pressure was firmly on the home side. However, few could have predicted the drama that would unfold. Roma made the perfect start, taking the lead after just 11 minutes when Matias Soulé finished confidently past Senne Lammens. Things went from bad to worse for United six minutes later, as Donyell Malen converted from the penalty spot after Ayden Heaven was penalised for handball. At 2-0 down, United looked short of confidence and ideas, while the frustration around Old Trafford was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

The first half offered very little encouragement for the home supporters, with Roma looking comfortable and United struggling to find any rhythm in possession. Carrick’s side were fortunate not to fall further behind before the interval, and the half-time whistle was greeted by a chorus of boos. United needed a response, and although an early injury to Carlos Baleba threatened to disrupt their plans further, the hosts gradually began to show greater urgency. Their breakthrough arrived in the 58th minute when Matheus Cunha was brought down inside the penalty area. Bruno Fernandes initially saw his spot-kick saved by Roma goalkeeper Devis Vasquez, but a retake was ordered following encroachment. The United captain made no mistake at the second attempt, firing emphatically into the top corner to make it 2-1. Suddenly, Old Trafford had a different feel, and the home crowd began to believe again.

United’s equaliser arrived seven minutes from time, and it was Cunha who provided the moment of quality. Bruno Fernandes delivered a dangerous ball into the penalty area, and when Roma defender Leonardo Balerdi failed to deal with the danger, Cunha was perfectly positioned to slot the ball beyond Vasquez. The celebrations were already deafening, but United were not finished. Just three minutes later, substitute Shea Lacey produced a wonderful pass into Cunha’s path, allowing the Brazilian to drive forward before unleashing a superb finish past the goalkeeper at his near post. Old Trafford erupted as United completed an extraordinary turnaround, with Cunha racing towards the supporters to celebrate a remarkable winner. Unfortunately, his evening ended on a sour note when he received a second yellow card in stoppage time, having already been booked for his exuberant celebration. Nevertheless, United managed to see out the remaining minutes and secure all three points.

For Carrick, this was undoubtedly one of the most important victories of his time in charge. United had looked completely beaten during the opening 45 minutes, but the character, determination and attacking quality displayed after the break offered a much-needed reminder of what this side can produce. Cunha was the obvious hero with two outstanding goals, while Fernandes played a crucial role in dragging his teammates back into the contest. Lacey also deserves plenty of credit for his impressive contribution from the bench, particularly his assist for the winning goal. There will still be plenty of questions surrounding United’s consistency and defensive organisation, and one victory will not solve every problem at Old Trafford. However, coming from two goals behind to beat a talented Roma side could provide the confidence and momentum this group desperately needs. On a night when everything seemed to be going wrong, Manchester United found a way to make it right.

Talking Points

The first talking point has to be the potential of this win to be a turning point of United’s abysmal start to the season. With their first victory since the Champions League opener against Sabah (in all competitions just to add), United did it in one of those traditionally exciting and sometimes frustrating styles in which the impact of the win becomes much more than a victory, but a potential for something exciting to come. However, as Carrick admitted himself, this only counts really if the team can use this morale boost and back it up with a victory against Aston Villa on Sunday just before the next international break. Not only for Carrick’s future, but the entire outlook of the season changes with 2 wins in the run-up to the break, but another defeat could well be the sign-off for the current head coach.

A big concern coming from the game however was Carlos Baleba suffering a hamstring injury in the 50th minute as he was initially through on goal before pulling up with an injury which looked bad at the time given the player’s reaction, and will likely be all we see from the midfielder in 2026. Given the huge midfield overhaul this summer, Baleba not coming straight in due to injury, and now missing several weeks is a real concern, as from the 3 players brought in this summer, he stood out as the top performer of these. While United have some options with Santos and Tielemans, losing Baleba really leaves the midfield lacking in energy and physicality, likely leading to more issues in what had been the focus area of the summer window.

Finally, while we wanted to end on a positive and the fact that United will probably get out of the Champions League group, we can’t overlook that first half in which tactically, physically and mentally United were outmatched. Dalot was caught out of position in several key moments, and misplaced passes led to easy chances for the visitors. While United escaped with the victory, without those final 10 minutes from Cunha and United were adding yet more issues to an already growing pile of problems. Thankfully they got away with one and rode their luck, but Aston Villa on Sunday, Liverpool on the return post international break and still with Sporting, RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Villarreal to play and these games are not going to be any easier moving forward.