Manchester United stun Roma as PSG maintain perfect Champions League record

Manchester United came from two goals behind to defeat Roma 3-2 in the Champions League on Tuesday, easing the pressure on manager Michael Carrick after a remarkable second-half turnaround at Old Trafford.

Roma appeared to be heading for a convincing victory after Mathias Soule opened the scoring and Donyell Malen doubled their advantage from the penalty spot inside the opening 18 minutes. United’s performance had prompted an angry response from supporters, with tennis balls and other objects thrown on to the pitch and abusive chants aimed at the club’s majority owners, the Glazer family.

The mood changed dramatically after half-time. Bruno Fernandes reduced the deficit from a penalty in the 58th minute, scoring at the second attempt after his first effort had been saved by Roma’s third-choice goalkeeper Devis Vasquez. The visitors were punished for encroachment in the area, which led to the penalty being retaken.

Matheus Cunha then completed the comeback by scoring twice in three minutes late in the game. He was later sent off in stoppage time, but United held on to seal a victory which sparked jubilant celebrations in the stands.

“We knew that the fans would be behind us until the last day, we just had to get a result for them,” United captain Bruno Fernandes told TNT.

United will now face Aston Villa on Sunday in a significantly improved mood. Villa lost 3-0 at Barcelona, while Roma suffered another damaging collapse after also surrendering a commanding lead in their only other defeat of the season, against Real Madrid.

“I spoke at half-time about being positive. Anything can happen here, I’ve seen it many times over the years,” said Carrick.

“You just need something to go our way and the boys were fantastic second half.”

PSG stay flawless

Holders Paris Saint-Germain remained perfect in the competition with a 6-0 victory over Villarreal, despite being without Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele, captain Marquinhos and Nuno Mendes.

The match began after a moment’s silence across Europe’s elite club games for Jesus de Miguel, the Tenerife player who died aged 30 from injuries sustained in a collision with FC Andorra’s goalkeeper during a Spanish second-division match.

PSG overwhelmed Villarreal by scoring four times in eight first-half minutes. Joao Neves, Desire Doue, Senny Mayulu and Fabian Ruiz established the commanding lead, setting a record for the fastest four goals scored in a match in Europe’s elite club competition.

Ruiz added another goal after the break, before teenager David Boly completed the rout. The result moved Luis Enrique’s side to the top of the table.

“We were impressive throughout and we are really pleased even if it is very difficult for Villarreal,” said Luis Enrique.

“But it is hard when you play against a team like us that presses constantly.”

Bayern Munich also won without several key players, beating Atletico Madrid 2-0 in Madrid through second-half goals from Lennart Karl and Konrad Laimer. Jamal Musiala, Luis Diaz, Serge Gnabry and Ismael Saibari were absent as Bayern moved into the top eight.

Inter Milan responded to their weekend derby defeat with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Feyenoord, with Yann Bisseck, Pio Esposito and Piotr Zielinski on target.