Two halves, two faces: Manchester United's Roma comeback offers hope, but deeper problems remain
A win after nine matches. Manchester United’s come-from-behind 3-2 win against Roma didn’t come easy, nothing does at Old Trafford these days. But Matheus Cunha’s astonishing finish from a difficult angle brought relief to a club and their beleaguered head coach.
Manchester United fans have suffered. And how. The frustration had reached a boiling point. The boos in recent matches were not just about results, but about a club in terminal decline. It wasn’t any different on Tuesday in the first 45 minutes.
That was when United leaked two. The nervousness and pressure of not having won in their last months were apparent in the players. Too many misplaced passes inside their own half, repeated losses of possession and poor positioning from the defenders.
In the 11th minute, Rodrigo Mora, from midfield, found Matias Soule completely unmarked on the right flank. The aerial pass caught United off-guard as Diogo Dalot was way off his position and Soule had a clear sight of goal. He made no mistake.
United continued to give the ball away. Soule was once again found unmarked in the 16th minute with Dalot nowhere to be seen near him. Harry Maguire then gifted him possession inside the box. Ayden Heaven managed to block his shot only to handle the ball inside the box and concede a penalty. Donyell Malen converted from the spot to make it 2-0.
United have now conceded first in four successive games for the first time since May 2025, while this was the earliest a visiting team had scored twice at Old Trafford in a major European competition.
The defensive chaos was matched by a toothless attack, reflected in a first-half xG of just 0.24, according to Opta Analyst. The fans had also seen enough of the players' poor performance, and after they conceded the second goal, tennis balls were thrown onto the pitch accompanied by chants calling on United's unpopular owners, the American-based Glazer family, to sell the club.
At half-time, United looked almost buried, with Roma having missed a few chances to extend their lead further. It seemed like a repeat of their last two matches against Atletico Madrid and Como, in which the games were effectively decided in the first half.
The second half brought a long-overdue response. United finally showed the urgency and belief that had been missing in the past few matches. The spirit was different, the approach was different, and Bruno Fernandes's penalty changed everything. His first attempt was saved by Roma's third-choice goalkeeper Devis Vasquez, but Fernandes was given a reprieve after encroachment by the visitors.
The United captain made no mistake with his second attempt, striking the ball with power to beat the goalkeeper, who went the other way. It was the moment that kick-started the comeback.
It sparked something special as United went all guns blazing, played the right passes and moved the ball quickly in transition, catching Roma off guard. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini didn’t seem to have answers as Roma struggled to cope with the change in momentum.
Cunha punished Roma with two goals in quick succession, in the 83rd and 86th minutes, to put United ahead. The Brazilian had been one of the players seen picking up the tennis balls thrown onto the pitch by the fans and getting them off the field. After scoring the winner, he took his shirt off and jumped into the stands to celebrate with the supporters. He was duly booked.
Unnecessary red card
However, Cunha's evening ended on a sour note. He was booked again in stoppage time for a reckless lunge, leaving United with 10 in the final minutes. It was a needless way to end an otherwise memorable performance, especially with Roma already looking out of sorts by then. United managed to hold on, but the red card could come back to haunt them in their next match against Sporting.
It was indeed a game of two halves for United. After the break, they registered an xG of 2.46. Roma, meanwhile, had an xG of 0, highlighting the complete shift in the balance of the game.
Carrick will certainly take some relief from the result, but the first-half performance remains a headache. The defensive line looked shaky, players made unnecessary errors under pressure, there was nervousness in the build-up, and the forwards were given far too much space to exploit. These are issues that need to be sorted out quickly, especially with United still languishing close to the relegation zone in the Premier League. The comeback was a much-needed result, but it cannot be allowed to paper over the cracks that were once again exposed in the first half.
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