Matheus Cunha scored twice in the closing minutes and was then sent off as Manchester United came from two goals down to beat Roma 3-2 at Old Trafford on Tuesday, November 3.
UEFA’s Champions League round-up confirms the result, the comeback and the red card. It was Matchday 4 of the league phase.
Manchester United’s official match report records the same outcome: two goals down at halftime, three goals after it, and a first win after a nine-match run without one.
How the Comeback Happened
Roma controlled the first half. Matias Soule opened the scoring, and Donyell Malen converted a penalty to give the visitors a 2-0 lead at the break.
United’s route back started from the penalty spot. Bruno Fernandes converted a retaken penalty in the 58th minute, after UEFA’s VAR review found a Roma player had encroached on the first attempt.
Bryan Mbeumo then hit both posts in the same attack. At that point, United still trailed with time running out.
Cunha changed that in three minutes. He equalized in the 83rd minute after a defensive error by Leonardo Balerdi, then scored the winner in the 86th minute from a Shea Lacey pass.
The Sending Off
The night did not end cleanly. Cunha was booked for removing his shirt while celebrating the winning goal.
Four minutes later, in the first minute of stoppage time, he received a second yellow card for a late challenge on Balerdi. UEFA confirms he was sent off for that second booking.
The suspension is European only. Cunha remains available for Sunday’s Premier League match at home to Aston Villa.
He will miss United’s next Champions League match, away to Sporting CP on November 25. Reports on November 4 said UEFA would not extend the ban beyond that automatic one-match suspension, after Michael Carrick moved Cunha off the pitch at full time to avoid further trouble.
What It Means for Manchester United
The result ends a nine-match winless run, according to UEFA. For a team and a head coach under sustained pressure, the manner of the win matters as much as the points.
Carrick explained afterward that he had moved Cunha into a central role at halftime, swapping him with Mbeumo, to change the shape of the attack. That adjustment produced both goals.
There is a cost. United lost Carlos Baleba to a hamstring injury during the match, according to the club’s post-match coverage, and Cunha is unavailable for the trip to Lisbon.
Cunha also won the club’s Player of the Match vote for his performance. The same player who completed the comeback will now watch the next European match from the stands.
That is the full picture of his night: decisive in front of goal, unavailable for what comes next in Europe, and central to whether United can build on a rare win.
