Cunha's double rescues Manchester United from 2-0 down to stun Roma in Champions League

Matheus Cunha scored twice in the final ten minutes to complete a stunning Champions League comeback for Manchester United, who beat AS Roma 3-2 at Old Trafford on Tuesday after trailing 2-0 at half-time.

Roma had raced into a commanding lead inside 20 minutes, Matias Soule opening the scoring before Donyell Malen converted a penalty to double the advantage. United were fortunate not to be further behind, and boos greeted the players as they left the pitch at the break.

The second half told a very different story. Bruno Fernandes had his initial penalty saved by Devis Vasquez, but VAR ordered a retake due to encroachment and the Portuguese midfielder converted at the second attempt to give United a foothold. Bryan Mbeumo then struck both posts in quick succession before Cunha broke the deadlock on 83 minutes, capitalising on a miskicked clearance from Leonardo Balerdi. Three minutes later, Cunha added a second to complete the turnaround and spark jubilant scenes at Old Trafford. The Brazilian was subsequently sent off for a second bookable offence, but United held on to claim three valuable points.

The result provided timely relief for head coach Michael Carrick, who had come into the fixture under mounting pressure following a 2-0 defeat at Chelsea the previous Saturday. Midfielder Youri Tielemans acknowledged the significance of the win in relation to his manager.

“There has been a lot of pressure on him, and that’s how we repay him — with a comeback like this, big character, big fight,” Tielemans said after the match. “The only thing we can do is stick behind him, fight for him and fight for the club. At the end of the day, we are on the pitch, and we need to show what we are capable of. Especially in the second half, we showed what we can do and we turned up the gears. Let’s hope this is a good turnaround for us and let’s hope we can build on this.”

United’s next fixture sees them host Aston Villa at Old Trafford — a reunion for Tielemans, who came through his formative years at the Birmingham club before joining United.