By Ahmad Ali, Sports Editor
Michael Carrick’s Manchester United side were 2-0 down to Roma at half-time and were booed off by their own supporters. They came back to win 3-2 at Old Trafford in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Bruno Fernandes scored a retaken penalty and Matheus Cunha struck twice in the closing minutes. Cunha was then sent off, but United held on to end a nine-match winless run. It may also have saved their head coach’s job, at least for now.
United’s last win had come on 10 September. Before kick-off there had been a growing feeling that Carrick would not survive the coming international break. Ninety minutes later, chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox looked far happier at the final whistle. For the first time since September, Carrick’s players know what winning feels like again.
From abysmal to unrecognisable
The first half matched the mood around the club. The Stretford End released hundreds of green and gold balloons before kick-off as part of the continuing protests against the ownership. Tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch, and chants targeted the Glazer family, minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Wilcox.
Roma were two goals up inside 17 minutes. Matias Soule was left unmarked to slot past Senne Lammens in the 11th minute. Shortly afterwards Ayden Heaven handled Soule’s shot, and Donyell Malen scored the penalty. United did not have a shot on target until the 44th minute. On Amazon Prime, Wayne Rooney pleaded with the players to “show some passion and desire” after what he called a “nothing” first half.
Carrick said afterwards that his half-time message had been about mentality, not tactics. “At half-time, I was wanting them to be more positive if anything, and not get too disappointed and frustrated,” he said. “The easiest thing is when you keep trying to do something is feeling sorry for yourself… We might as well all go home if that’s the case. We’ve got to keep looking for the next moment, the next solution.”
He also spoke to the players about the stadium itself. “This place does magical things,” he said. “One moment can flip the whole place in a different direction. I spoke about that with the boys. Let’s have one moment that can trigger it. And we had that.”
The moment: a penalty, twice
United’s night got harder early in the second half. Carlos Baleba pulled up with a hamstring injury and was replaced by Youri Tielemans. The turning point came just before the hour. Cunha was fouled in the area, and Fernandes’s penalty was saved by Devis Vasquez, the Roma goalkeeper making his debut.
But VAR official Carlos del Cerro Grande told referee Jesus Gil Manzano that Bryan Cristante’s foot had been inside the area as the kick was taken. The penalty was ordered to be retaken, and Fernandes hammered his second attempt past Vasquez in the 58th minute.
“I didn’t chuckle, I didn’t smile, I wasn’t happy about it,” Carrick said of the first miss. “But it felt almost like ‘there’s another moment’… For Bruno to double take that penalty – to have the mentality and finish like that – he deserves a lot of credit.”
United then piled on the pressure. They finished with 2.72 expected goals to Roma’s 1.53. Cunha, who had 10 shots on the night, equalised in the 83rd minute and scored again three minutes later. The 19-year-old substitute Shea Lacey, on since the 75th minute, set up the winner. Cunha’s night then ended badly. He was booked for celebrating among the supporters, and in the first minute of stoppage time a late sliding challenge on Leonardo Balerdi earned him a second yellow card. The ending was nervy, but United held on.
Reprieve, or a familiar false dawn?
The win lifts United to 17th in the Champions League league phase, with six points from four games. That is back inside the top-24 places that lead to the knockout rounds. Rooney was clear about who deserved the credit. “I think Michael Carrick deserves a lot of credit,” he said. “Whatever he said to the team at half-time, that got them on the front foot and got that belief in them that they could win the game.” Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock called it “a perfect night for Michael Carrick”.
Recent history urges caution. In 2021, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side came from 2-0 down to beat Atalanta 3-2 at Old Trafford. Four days later they lost 5-0 at home to Liverpool, and Solskjaer was gone within a month. In October 2018, Jose Mourinho’s team came back to beat Newcastle, and he lasted only 13 more games. Carrick knows this better than most. He was on Solskjaer’s staff at Watford in 2021, when a 4-1 defeat brought that reign to an end.
Carrick himself would not look ahead. “I don’t have a crystal ball to know what happens next,” he said. He added that he felt no relief at full time, only that he was “genuinely pleased for the players”.
What comes next
The fixture list is unforgiving. Aston Villa visit Old Trafford on Sunday. United will be without Lisandro Martinez, who is suspended after his red card at Chelsea, and Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford are also unavailable. After the international break, United travel to Liverpool. In the Premier League they are still in the bottom half, and the off-field problems remain. Fernandes and Martinez have both publicly criticised the club in recent weeks, and the protests against the ownership are not going away.
- Result: Manchester United 3-2 Roma (Fernandes pen 58′, Cunha 83′, 86′; Soule 11′, Malen pen 17′)
- Red card: Matheus Cunha (90+1′, two yellows)
- Run ended: nine matches without a win; first victory since 10 September
- Next: Aston Villa (H), Sunday; Liverpool (A) after the international break
Nobody knows how much time this win has bought Carrick. But on a night when Old Trafford started out protesting and ended up celebrating, a half-time talk and a retaken penalty gave him something he badly needed: evidence that this team will still play for him.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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