Manchester United vs Roma: United fight back to win 3-2
Michael Carrick, the under-pressure Manchester United boss, was thrown a rescue line as his side fought back from two goals behind to beat Roma 3-2 at Old Trafford in a Champions League night to remember. The result brought to a close a run of nine matches without a victory in any competition for the hosts.
Fans turn on the home side as Roma surge ahead
Supporters inside the ground were close to open revolt once Matias Soule and Donyell Malen had put the visitors 2-0 ahead before the 20-minute mark.
United found fresh hope when Bruno Fernandes converted a penalty that had to be taken twice, and Matheus Cunha then added two goals of his own, bringing the nine-match winless streak across all competitions to an end.
Choosing to spare Carrick the sack appeared to have been a mistake, given how flat and uninspired United were in the opening half.
Roma, for their part, once again could not shake off the bad memories of earlier visits to Old Trafford, throwing away another lead in a dramatic Champions League collapse.
Last month, Gian Piero Gasperini's team went down 4-3 to Real Madrid after being 3-1 in front with only eight minutes left to play.
Roma's record at Old Trafford is poor: they have lost on each of their five visits, the heaviest being a 7-1 hammering in the Champions League last eight, nearly two decades ago, in which Carrick netted a brace.
Carrick's disorganised defence torn apart
After Lisandro Martinez was sent off needlessly in Saturday's 2-0 loss at Chelsea, Carrick responded by leaving the Argentina international out of the side.
The change did little to help, as the United back line, lacking any structure, was ripped open before 20 minutes had gone.
- Soule had plenty of room to control the delivery from Rodrigo Mora and stroke the ball beyond Senne Lammens in the 11th minute.
- Shortly afterwards United were exposed once more down their left flank, and a shot from Soule hit the arm of Ayden Heaven as it stretched out.
- Malen stepped up to score from the spot, his 12th strike of the campaign.
Fans halted play briefly in the opening half, hurling tennis balls on to the pitch and chanting for the club's much-disliked owners, the Glazer family, who are based in America, to sell up.
A second setback arrived less than two minutes after the restart. Carlos Baleba, who joined for £70 million ($94 million), went down with what looked like a serious hamstring problem after surging into the Roma area.
How the Manchester United vs Roma comeback unfolded
Carrick's fortunes changed shortly before the hour, though, as Cunha was awarded a soft penalty after Gianluca Mancini made only slight contact.
Roma's goalkeeper, Devis Vasquez, who is only their third choice in that position, stopped Fernandes's first attempt from the spot, but the visitors had players inside the area too early, so he got another go.
Taking his second chance, the United skipper drove the ball in, and that sparked the fightback.
Moments afterwards, Bryan Mbeumo struck both uprights in a single effort, and Roma skipper Bryan Cristante was forced to clear desperately from the goal line, with the visitors surviving by good fortune.
Yet it was Leonardo Balerdi's air-kick, deep in his own penalty area, that handed Cunha an effortless finish to level the scores with seven minutes left.
Ten minutes after that, the Brazilian drove a powerful effort beyond Vasquez at the near post, then leapt into the supporters, a celebration that would cost him dearly.
He received a booking for that, and soon afterwards, a careless challenge deep into added time earned him another caution, his second of the match.
Even with ten men, United hung on, giving fresh hope to their Champions League challenge following successive losses to Atletico Madrid and Como.
It is still unclear whether the Manchester United vs Roma outcome marks a genuine turning point, or merely buys Carrick a little more time.
