Manchester United came from two goals down to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory over Roma in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night, handing manager Michael Carrick a much-needed boost after a difficult run of results.
Roma took control early at Old Trafford, with Matias Soule opening the scoring before Donyell Malen doubled the visitors’ advantage from the penalty spot in the 17th minute.
United struggled to find a response in the first half, with Matheus Cunha and Carlos Baleba seeing efforts fail to trouble Roma’s defence, while goalkeeper Senne Lammens made important saves to prevent the visitors from extending their lead.
Carrick made changes after the break, bringing on Youri Tielemans for the injured Baleba, as United stepped up their efforts to get back into the contest.
The hosts were handed an opportunity to reduce the deficit when Cunha was brought down by Gianluca Mancini inside the penalty area. Bruno Fernandes initially saw his spot-kick saved by Roma debutant Devis Vasquez, but was allowed another attempt after a Roma player encroached into the area.
The United captain made no mistake with his second attempt, smashing the ball into the top-left corner to make it 2-1.
The goal sparked a remarkable response from United, who nearly equalised moments later when Bryan Mbeumo’s effort beat Vasquez but struck both posts before bouncing away.
With seven minutes of regular time remaining, Fernandes delivered a cross into the box, which Roma defender Leonardo Balerdi failed to deal with, allowing Cunha to finish calmly past Vasquez for the equaliser.
United completed the turnaround just three minutes later when substitute Shea Lacey picked out Cunha with a superb pass. The Brazilian surged forward before firing past Vasquez at his near post to put the hosts ahead 3-2.
However, Cunha’s night ended prematurely after he received a second yellow card for a late challenge on Balerdi. His first booking had come from removing his shirt and celebrating among supporters after scoring the winning goal.
Roma attempted to rescue a point in the closing stages, but Santiago Castro headed wide as United held on for a memorable victory.
The result ended United’s nine-game winless run in all competitions, while providing Carrick with a significant lift following the team’s defeat to Chelsea at the weekend.
Elsewhere, Barcelona defeated Aston Villa 3-0, Bayern Munich secured a 2-0 victory over Atletico Madrid, while Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Villarreal 6-0.
Inter Milan beat Feyenoord 3-0, Galatasaray defeated Stuttgart 2-0, and Sporting CP claimed a narrow 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
LASK recorded a 4-0 victory over Slovan Bratislava, while Bodo/Glimt and Lille played out a goalless draw to complete Tuesday’s nine-match schedule.
