Manchester United beat Roma 3-2 as Cunha's late double ends the rot

Manchester United came from 2-0 down to beat Roma 3-2 at Old Trafford in the Champions League. Matheus Cunha scored twice late on, then was sent off in stoppage time for a second yellow card.

The result ended a winless run dating back to late August. It also eased the pressure on manager Michael Carrick, who, in The Standard's words, had been teetering "on the brink of the sack".

Two goals down in 18 minutes

In a pre-match interview quoted by the Mirror, Carrick said: "I think tonight is a whole new Man United." He added: "It's the next opportunity for us to win a football match, we are looking to do that, we need to do that, and tonight would be a good one [for us to win]."

The first 18 minutes did not read like a new anything. Kobbie Mainoo, making his first start in almost a month, was dispossessed in midfield. Roma worked the ball to Rodrigo Mora, who found Matias Soule in acres of space with Diogo Dalot caught high up the pitch. Soule finished past Senne Lammens, according to the Mirror.

The second was self-inflicted too. Harry Maguire's poor clearance was seized on by Soule, whose shot hit the arm of Ayden Heaven. Referee Jesus Gil Manzano gave a penalty and Donyell Malen scored it.

Lisandro Martinez had been dropped to the bench after his display against Chelsea, even though the Mirror notes his ban applies only to Premier League matches. At two goals down, the selection was hardly the only problem.

There was noise from the stands as well. The Mirror reported a planned protest in the 21st minute: green and gold balloons in the Stretford End, tennis balls and a pie thrown onto the pitch, and chants against the Glazers, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Jason Wilcox. Boos met the team at half-time, per The Standard.

The half that decided it

Here is the number that matters: Roma did not take a single shot in the second half, according to the Mirror. The same report says they went close to a third on several occasions before the interval. The contrast was stark: Roma threatened a third before the break, then registered no shots after it.

United's start to the half was a flicker. Carlos Baleba charged into Roma's penalty area, pulled out of a shot clutching his hamstring and had to come off.

Then came the penalty, just before the hour. Cunha went down and the Mirror called the award dubious. Bruno Fernandes had his first attempt saved by Roma's debutant goalkeeper Devis Vasquez, but a retake was ordered for encroachment. Fernandes scored it the second time.

Cunha did the rest. He pounced on a woeful clearance from Leonardo Balerdi to equalise, then hammered the winner past Vasquez at his near post in the 86th minute. Football Italia's report said Roma "once again threw away a two-goal Champions League advantage".

A red card, and a record dodged

Cunha's night ended badly. He had been booked earlier for taking his shirt off and celebrating in the Old Trafford crowd. In stoppage time he was sent off for what The Standard called a silly challenge, a second yellow. The Athletic's headline had him with two late goals and a red.

That is a sloppy way to finish a decisive night, and United have just found a forward who can win a match.

The winless count depends on who is counting. The Standard says nine games. The Mirror calls it United's first win in 10 games, and their first since they beat Sabah 10 games ago. Either way, the Mirror says it avoided their worst run since the 1984-85 season.

What it means for Carrick

A stay of execution, perhaps: not a cure. One home win over a side that registered no second-half shots does not fix a team that conceded twice in 18 minutes.

The pattern is hard to ignore. Mainoo lost the ball for the first goal. Dalot was caught upfield for the first; Maguire's poor clearance began the sequence that led to the second. Cunha's late goals covered that up, but they did not make it disappear.

The reported chants targeted the Glazers, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Jason Wilcox. A comeback win does not answer those grievances.

What to watch

• Baleba's hamstring. The reports give no timeline.
• Cunha's red card, and whether it brings a suspension. The reports do not say.
• Whether Martinez returns to the starting line-up after being benched against Roma.
• Whether United can put together two good halves in a row. That would be new.

The winning run starts at one. The numbers have not changed their mind yet.