Cunha's late double rescues Carrick as 10-man United beat Roma to end nine-game winless run

Manchester United ended a 54-day, nine-match winless run across all competitions by beating Roma 3-2 in the Champions League at Old Trafford, coming from two goals down through a Bruno Fernandes penalty and two late strikes from Matheus Cunha.

The result offers some relief to head coach Michael Carrick, whose position had come under mounting pressure before the match. United face Aston Villa on Sunday before the November international break, and Carrick was measured in his response to the victory, insisting he was not “getting too carried away with things.”

“I think it’s an important night,” Carrick said. “I think it’s important for some of the players to have the feeling that they maybe haven’t had here before. We’ve got to take stock; we’ve got to stay calm and prepare and be ready for another big game on the weekend.”

Cunha’s match-winning contribution came at a cost. The forward was sent off in the closing minutes after collecting two yellow cards, meaning he will miss United’s next Champions League fixture. He could also face further sanctions from UEFA after celebrating on the pitch following the final whistle.

Fernandes, who returned to the starting line-up after being dropped for the match against Bournemouth, denied reports that he and Carrick had held clear-the-air talks ahead of his recall against Chelsea. The Portuguese midfielder had been understood to have had a conversation with the manager before that game, but Fernandes pushed back on that characterisation after the Roma win.

The comeback will do little to fully resolve the uncertainty surrounding Carrick’s future, but it at least prevents a winless run stretching into double figures and provides the squad with a confidence-building result ahead of a demanding run of fixtures.