Manchester United fought back from two goals behind to defeat Roma in a dramatic Champions League clash on Tuesday, handing manager Michael Carrick a much-needed lift as he battles to keep his job.
At Old Trafford, the outlook seemed grim when his team fell 2-0 behind within just 17 minutes against the Italian visitors, who were unbeaten in their 10 Serie A matches this season.
A run of nine games without a win had made Carrick’s position increasingly shaky, and a poor start left United staring at yet another damaging loss.
However, they roared back in the second half with a display of character and quality that had been absent during a troubled campaign in which they had won only twice in all competitions.
Captain Bruno Fernandes began the comeback from the penalty spot, and then Matheus Cunha scored twice within three memorable minutes to flip the game on its head.
What could have been another night to forget turned into an unforgettable one for the Old Trafford faithful, and Carrick could breathe a little easier after his side secured an unlikely win.
Speaking after the game, Carrick said, “It was a good night, I must give a lot of credit to the payers for character and to the supporters. I think we grew into it after giving goals too easily. The boys made everything of every little opportunity.
“I told them to not get too disappointed, I thought we were coming into the game. It didn’t feel like that to the players who were carrying a lot of disappointed.
“It’s one game, so it depends on what happens next. We need to capitalise on that. I thought Youri was fantastic and showed everything that he is. It was nice to see this place like that again.
“I am delighted for Shea, he is so talented. He is well liked, the boys respect him a lot. To see young players take opportunities like that, there are not many better things.
“Seeing the supporters going home happy is what we live for.
“We’ve shown a lot of character as a group, I hope the players have found out a lot about me, I’ve found out a lot about them.”
