Michael Carrick breathed a sigh of relief as Manchester United overturned a two-goal deficit to beat Roma 3–2, restoring hope for the English coach and the Old Trafford faithful.
United hosted the Italian side on Matchday 4 of the Champions League league phase with Carrick under mounting pressure. A second-half revival transformed a match that had begun disastrously for the home side.
Matías Soulé put Roma ahead in the 11th minute before Donyell Malen doubled their advantage from the penalty spot in the 18th. With their second goal arriving after just 17 minutes of play, Roma became the fastest visiting team to score twice at Old Trafford in the history of major European competitions.
Bruno Fernandes launched the comeback with a 58th-minute penalty before Matheus Cunha took centre stage. The Brazilian capitalised on a defensive error to equalise in the 83rd minute, then struck again in the 86th to complete the turnaround with two goals in three minutes.
The victory ended United’s miserable nine-match winless run across all competitions. That sequence included a 4–1 European defeat to Como, followed by domestic losses to Bournemouth, 3–0, and Chelsea, 2–0 — results that had intensified scrutiny over Carrick’s future.
Fernandes also reached a personal milestone, scoring his fourth Champions League penalty for United to draw level with Wayne Rooney. Only Ruud van Nistelrooy, with five successful spot-kicks for the club in the competition, remains ahead of him.
United climbed provisionally to 17th with six points, securing their second European victory after an opening win over Azerbaijan’s Sabah. Roma remained on four points and slipped to 19th.
Both teams face away tests on the next matchday, Wednesday, 25 November. United travel to Portugal to face Sporting CP, while Roma visit Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes.
Before the international break, United host Aston Villa on Sunday, 8 November, giving Carrick an opportunity to build on the momentum of this comeback and further ease the pressure. Roma welcome Sassuolo in Serie A on Saturday, 7 November.
