MANCHESTER, England – Matheus Cunha won a penalty, scored twice and got himself sent off, and Manchester United still needed every minute of it. His 83rd-minute equalizer and 86th-minute winner carried United to a 3-2 Champions League win over Roma on Tuesday night after they trailed by two goals, ending a nine-game winless run and easing the pressure on manager Michael Carrick.
Cunha’s night finished with a red card for a late foul in a tense finale, Sky Sports reported. By then the damage was done. United held on for their first win in 54 days, only their third of the season, after a first half that ended with the home crowd booing.
Roma had every reason to feel in control. Matias Soule opened the scoring when United’s left side was cut open, and Donyell Malen doubled the lead from the penalty spot after Soule’s shot struck Ayden Heaven’s arm. United had not managed a shot inside the penalty area before the break, according to CBS Sports, and Bruno Fernandes was seen gesturing angrily at midfielder Carlos Baleba over a pass late in the half.
The mood at Old Trafford was already raw. Green and gold balloons fell from the Stretford End before kickoff in a protest against the Glazer family, and fans later threw tennis balls onto the pitch to delay play, Goal reported. Baleba then went off early in the second half with a hamstring injury, which made the night look bleaker still.
Leonardo Balerdi’s woeful clearance handed Cunha the equalizer, and he slotted it home. Three minutes later he took a pass from Shea Lacey, worked the ball to a narrow angle and rocketed a finish in off the inside of the near post. His celebration earned him a booking. A late foul brought a second yellow and the sending-off, but United protected the lead.
Fernandes, speaking to Amazon Prime, said he hoped the win would be the start of something good for the club. The United captain also addressed his recent dispute with Carrick, saying he accepted the manager’s decision to bench him against Bournemouth because he had not been performing at the required level.
Carrick said he was proud of the players and the supporters, adding that it was an important night but that he was not getting carried away. He singled out Lacey, who came on and provided the assist for the winner, saying he was just as pleased by how the young player defended at right-back.
The October 18 Manchester United Leeds draw had left United with one league win in seven games.
The result does not settle everything. CBS Sports argued that the second-half effort exposed a wider problem, asking why the same ferocity had not appeared in the many tight moments of the past month, and Sky Sports described a first half that looked like surrender. Both outlets credited the second half as proof that the squad still has fight, which is a smaller claim than saying the team is fixed.
The result also halted a slide. United had been heading for a fourth straight defeat after Roma went two goals clear, and the win was only their third of the season. Whether it becomes a turning point depends on the next fixtures, where the same defensive gaps will be tested again, and the supporters who protested before kickoff have not changed their view of the club’s ownership.
Elsewhere on the night, Barcelona ended Aston Villa’s perfect start in the Champions League with a 3-0 win at Camp Nou. Lamine Yamal scored in the seventh minute, and Raphinha added a second-half double in the 52nd and 64th minutes, Sky Sports reported. The result left Barcelona on nine points and second in the standings.
For United, the night offered something rarer than three points. A beaten and booed side found a response when its supporters needed one, and its manager left the pitch to applause rather than boos. Carrick now carries that into the next match with more time than he had on Monday, and no guarantee of how long it lasts.
