Carrick praises Old Trafford magic as Manchester United fight back against Roma

Michael Carrick said Old Trafford’s “magic” helped Manchester United recover from two goals down to beat Roma 3-2 and end a nine-match winless run in the Champions League.

United appeared set for another difficult night on Tuesday after Roma scored twice in six first-half minutes. Matias Soule opened the scoring before Donyell Malen doubled the visitors’ advantage from the penalty spot, increasing the pressure on United head coach Carrick.

The early setback came during a tense atmosphere at Old Trafford, where supporters protested against the club’s ownership. Green tennis balls were thrown on to the pitch, while green and gold balloons were released before kick-off.

Fans also directed chants at the Glazer family, minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and director of football Jason Wilcox as frustration grew inside the stadium.

United began their comeback when captain Bruno Fernandes converted a penalty. The spot-kick had to be retaken after a Roma player encroached, but Fernandes made no mistake with his second attempt.

Bryan Mbeumo then went close to reducing the deficit, striking both posts, before Matheus Cunha capitalised on a mistake by Leonardo Balerdi to bring United level.

Cunha completed the turnaround four minutes before the end of normal time, beating the Roma defence with a powerful finish from a tight angle to put United ahead for the first time.

The Brazilian was later sent off after receiving a second yellow card in stoppage time, leaving United to defend their lead with 10 men.

There was further concern for the hosts when £70 million midfielder Carlos Baleba suffered a hamstring injury which is expected to keep him out for a period.

Despite Cunha’s dismissal and Roma’s late pressure, United held on for a dramatic victory in front of a noisy home crowd.

“It was a good night. A lot of credit to the players, for starters, showing that character and that quality when we needed it, and the supporters,” Carrick said after the match, as quoted by the club’s official website.

“This place does incredible things. There’s magic here and we spoke about it at half-time.

“I thought we grew into it in the first half, actually, after giving the goals away too easily. We spoke at half-time about how this place can change, and it only takes one moment. The boys made the most of every little opportunity, really, and were fantastic in the end.”