Fabregas regrets telling Como to ease off after 4-0 lead in Champions League rout of Manchester United

Cesc Fabregas has revealed he ordered Como to ease off the accelerator when leading 4-0 against Manchester United in the Champions League, a call he now regrets after the visitors scored a late consolation in a 4-1 defeat in Naples.

Como had been dominant throughout, with Nico Paz scoring twice and Anastasios Douvikas and Jacobo Ramon also on target to put the Italian side 4-0 up by the 76th minute. Fabregas then instructed his players to manage the game, only for Joshua Zirkzee to pull one back for Michael Carrick’s side.

“I regret maybe the last 10 minutes when I was the one telling the team to slow down the pace because there was another game and maybe with a 4-0 lead they could have managed something,” Fabregas said. “I told Tasos Douvikas not to run anymore, to stay in the middle and maybe that is what I regret, because I’m the first one who always pushes the fight until the end. That goal hurt me.”

The result equalled Manchester United’s joint-heaviest defeat in Champions League history and extended Carrick’s winless run to seven games in all competitions. It also drew public criticism from United captain Bruno Fernandes, who questioned his manager’s tactical approach in northern Italy.

Carrick, a former United player himself, did not shy away from the gravity of the performance. “I’ve not given my position any thought,” he said at a post-match press conference. “It’s about the supporters — I was one of them, and I didn’t like what I saw. I’m really angry but you’ve got to move on and deal with what’s next.”

Fabregas, who guided Como to their first ever Champions League qualification last season, was broadly satisfied with his side’s display despite his frustration at the final scoreline. “I believe that tactically speaking the team played a rather good game,” he said.

The defeat leaves Carrick under mounting pressure, with United’s Champions League campaign now clouded by both results and a growing rift between the manager and his players.