Man Utd 3-2 Roma: Cunha scores two and sent off in wild comeback to end 9-game winless run

Manchester United produced an extraordinary comeback from two down to beat Roma 3-2 at Old Trafford and pick up their first win in 10 games.

Match Report

It looked like United's woes were set to continue as they found themselves 2-0 down after 17 minutes at Old Trafford, with Matias Soule and Donyell Malen getting the goals.

However, Bruno Fernandes halved the deficit from the penalty spot before Cunha scored twice in the space of three minutes to help lift some of the pressure on Michael Carrick's shoulders, before the Brazilian received a stoppage-time red card in a chaotic finale.

Roma required just 11 minutes to carve United open when Rodrigo Mora switched play to the unmarked Soule, who had time to take a touch before slotting into the bottom-right corner.

Things then went from bad to worse just six minutes later when Harry Maguire gifted Soule possession in the box. Ayden Heaven threw himself into the block but made it with his outstretched arm.

Malen then made no mistake from 12 yards, firing past Senne Lammens, who dived the wrong way.

Malen saw a low drive palmed away by Lammens before Soule's curler skimmed the outside of the left post on the stroke of half-time.

However, United made those reprieves count and, despite losing Carlos Baleba to a hamstring injury shortly after the break, they were given a route back in when Gianluca Mancini was punished for a clumsy tangle with Cunha.

Fernandes' first spot-kick was saved by debutant Devis Vasquez, but it was retaken due to Roma encroachment, and the United captain emphatically blasted in his second attempt to reduce the arrears in the 58th minute.

He then threaded it in behind for Bryan Mbeumo, whose shot hit the left post, bounced across the goal line and back out off the opposite stick.

Maguire saw a header blocked by Wesley and caused more issues from the resulting corner, nodding it across for Diogo Dalot, who was denied on the line by Bryan Cristante.

United's pressure eventually told again in the 83rd minute, with Leonardo Balerdi missing his attempted clearance, and Cunha was hovering behind to turn in from close range.

And a remarkable turnaround was capped off when Cunha lashed his laces through a tight-angled effort to spark delirium.

Amid the wild celebrations, Cunha whipped off his shirt and leapt into the crowd, and it cost him in the 91st minute as he received his second booking for a late tackle on Balerdi, though United held out to end their nine-game winless streak.

Carrick can savour superb second-half comeback

The first 20 minutes of the match summed up United's recent struggles as they were carved wide open, with Dalot punished for being caught upfield when Soule opened the scoring, and things did not get any easier when Malen converted the penalty.

United have conceded first in four successive games for the first time since May 2025, while this is the earliest a team have scored twice as the visiting side at Old Trafford in major European competition.

It is no surprise that Malen was on the scoresheet, though. Since his Roma debut in January, he has scored 27 goals in all competitions – only Harry Kane (39) has scored more times for a club in Europe's big five leagues in that period.

But Carrick was part of a United squad years ago that was no stranger to overturning the odds, and they ran back the years by coming from two goals down at half-time to win for the first time since October 2021 against Gian Piero Gasperini's Atalanta (also 3-2).

Fernandes had failed to score with his previous 18 shots across all competitions before stepping up to take his 50th United penalty. He has now scored 44 of them.

Cunha's game may have ended on a dour note with his needless sending-off, but no player has been directly involved in more goals for United this season than the Brazilian (six – four goals, two assists).

United were a different side in the second half, racking up 10 shots (five on target) worth 2.48 expected goals (xG) – a huge improvement on their 0.24 xG from the first half – while Roma did not get a single sight of Lammens' goal after the break, and this comeback may well have just saved Carrick's job.

Match Events

0' The match is about to start!

11' GOAL! Soulé opens the scoring quickly! Man Utd 0-1 Roma

17' Penalty Goal! Malen doubles the lead following Dalot's handball! Man Utd 0-2 Roma

46' Baleba pulled up clutching the back of his right leg as Tielemans replaces him

50' Highlight from Man Utd vs Roma

58' Penalty Goal! Bruno misses it at first but retakes it! Man Utd 1-2 Roma

59' CLOSE! Mbeumo hits the woodwork TWICE!

63' United fans can't believe they're not level after Mbeumo hits both posts on a United raid

66' Dalot connects with Harry Maguire's header back across goal from the corner

68' No corner after VAR review

70' Yellow Card! Ayden Heaven booked

75' Martinez and Lacey replace Diallo and Heaven

77' Highlight from Man Utd vs Roma

78' Malen replaced by Castro

78' Highlight from Man Utd vs Roma

83' GOAL! Balerdi makes huge error as Cunha equalizes! Man Utd 2-2 Roma

86' GOAL! Cunha turns it around! Man Utd 3-2 Roma

88' Highlight from Man Utd vs Roma

88' Highlight from Man Utd vs Roma

Line-ups

Man Utd XI: Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Dalot, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Senne Lammens, Amad Diallo Traore, Mainoo, Yoro, Carlos Baleba, Ayden Heaven

Subs: Heaton, Darlow, Tielemans, Mount, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Lisandro Martinez, Zirkzee, Andrey Santos, Shea Lacey, Tyler Fletcher, Harry Amass

Roma XI: De Roon, Cristante, Hermoso, G. Mancini, Devis Vásquez, Malen, Balerdi, Devyne Rensch, Matías Soulé, Wesley Vinícius França Lima, Rodrigo Mora

Subs: Molina, N'Dicka, Konstantinos Koulierakis, Daniele Ghilardi, Santiago Castro, Niccolò Pisilli, Alessandro Di Nunzio, Emanuele Lulli, Giorgio De Marzi