Dalot admits United were 'not near good enough' after comeback win over Roma ends nine-game drought

Diogo Dalot delivered a blunt assessment of Manchester United’s season after their 3-2 Champions League victory over Roma at Old Trafford on Tuesday, admitting the squad has not been “near good enough” and calling on his teammates to raise their standards.

United trailed 2-0 at half-time before staging a second-half turnaround, with Bruno Fernandes converting a penalty and Matheus Cunha scoring twice to complete the comeback. The result ended a miserable run of nine games without a win across all competitions and eased some of the immediate pressure on manager Michael Carrick.

“Not just the manager, everyone is under pressure,” Dalot told journalists after the match. “When you don’t win games for this football club, every moment, every person, everyone involved gets under pressure. And we felt it obviously, because we’re not near good enough of what we should have done. Nights like this can change momentum, can change seasons, and I think this win is going to give us confidence for the next games.”

Carrick had been fighting for his job in the days leading up to the match, with United’s decision-makers meeting at Carrington following a defeat to Bournemouth to discuss whether to remove him. The win offers him a temporary reprieve, though his long-term future at the club remains uncertain.

Dalot was also asked to explain why he had been caught out of position during the first half, pushing unusually high to the left wing. He confirmed the positioning was by design, though it left United exposed before the interval.

“We knew that they were going to play man-to-man, but that requires some things that we need to avoid, especially losing balls in the middle, because we knew that we’re going to be too open,” he said. “After the second goal, we tried to fix it straight away. I think we balanced the game a little bit more, kept ourselves in it, and in the second half we came right at it and won the game.”

Reflecting on the broader difficulties of United’s winless run, Dalot acknowledged the toll it had taken on the dressing room. “These moments are really tough, I’m not going to lie,” he said. “Unfortunately, I’ve had a few moments like this in the past, and the only way for us to get out is by winning football games. Nights like this give you an extra confidence that makes you believe you can turn things around.”

Whether Tuesday’s result marks a genuine turning point or a brief respite remains to be seen, but Dalot’s words signal at least an awareness within the squad that performances must improve significantly.