Symbolic illustration of a football stadium at night under bright floodlights with an empty green pitch and glowing stands, with no people shown.
Sports & Cricket
Man Utd fight back from 2-0 down to beat Roma 3-2
Manchester United ended a nine-match winless run in dramatic style on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, coming from two goals down to beat Roma 3-2 at Old Trafford in the UEFA Champions League.
⚡Key Highlights
Premium
Manchester United ended a nine-match winless run in dramatic style on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, coming from two goals down to beat Roma 3-2 at Old Trafford in the UEFA Champions League.
Special coverage and in-depth reporting from the Sports & Cricket desk.
Key analysis, background details, and full reporting below.
Manchester United were two goals down inside 17 minutes at Old Trafford, then produced a stunning second-half comeback to beat Roma 3-2, with Matheus Cunha scoring twice late.
By StoryTimesNow News Desk — 04 November 2026, 7:04 AM IST
Symbolic illustration of a floodlit football stadium at night. No team crests or players are pictured.
Key Takeaways
What happened: Manchester United beat Roma 3-2 at Old Trafford on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, in matchday four of the UEFA Champions League league phase, after trailing 2-0.
Who is affected: United end a nine-match winless run across all competitions, while Roma let a commanding first-half lead slip away in Manchester.
What next: United take renewed belief into the weekend visit of Aston Villa, but Cunha faces a European suspension after his late sending-off.
Manchester United produced one of the great Old Trafford comebacks on Tuesday night, 3 November 2026, beating Roma 3-2 in the UEFA Champions League after trailing by two goals inside 17 minutes. Bruno Fernandes scored a retaken penalty, and Matheus Cunha scored twice in three minutes to end United’s nine-match winless run.
The win, United’s first in just under two months, came amid supporter protests and with head coach Michael Carrick’s position under intense scrutiny. For 45 minutes it looked like another miserable night.
What Happened?
Roma, coached by Gian Piero Gasperini, struck twice in the opening quarter of an hour. Matias Soule opened the scoring in the 11th minute after a sweeping diagonal pass found him in space, and Donyell Malen doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the 17th minute after a handball by Ayden Heaven.
The second half began with another setback. Carlos Baleba suffered an apparent hamstring injury early after the restart and was replaced by Youri Tielemans in the 51st minute. But United grew into the game, pressing with more intent against Roma’s man-to-man marking.
The turning point came from the penalty spot. Cunha won the penalty, and Fernandes converted at the second attempt after his first effort was retaken, to make it 2-1. The equaliser arrived in the 83rd minute when Leonardo Balerdi’s missed clearance fell to Cunha, who swept home from close range.
Three minutes later, the comeback was complete. Substitute Shea Lacey threaded a superb pass through three Roma defenders, and Cunha raced through to smash home from a tight angle off the post. Cunha was booked in the 87th minute for removing his shirt, then sent off in stoppage time for a second yellow card, but United held on.
Why Does This Matter?
For United, this was about far more than three Champions League points. Squawka described the result as ending United’s worst winless run since 1988, nine matches with three draws and six defeats. Ending it so dramatically gives Carrick and his players something tangible to build on.
For Carrick personally, the night mattered enormously. His job safety has been assessed game to game during the poor run, and a home defeat after surrendering a lead at Chelsea the previous weekend would have left his position almost untenable. Instead, the second-half response showed players who have not given up on their manager.
For Roma, the defeat is a warning about game management. Gasperini’s side played superbly for 45 minutes, then faded badly, sat too deep and invited pressure until the errors came. A 2-0 lead in the Champions League should be a platform for a win, not a prelude to collapse.
Important Details
Result: Manchester United 3-2 Roma, Champions League league phase, matchday four, 3 November 2026, Old Trafford.
Scorers: Soule (11th) and Malen (penalty, 17th) for Roma; Fernandes (penalty, second half) and Cunha (83rd, 86th) for United.
Turning points: Fernandes converted a retaken penalty won by Cunha; Balerdi’s error gifted the equaliser; Lacey created the winner.
Discipline: Cunha was booked in the 87th minute, then sent off in stoppage time for a second yellow card.
Injury: Baleba suffered an apparent hamstring injury and was replaced by Tielemans in the 51st minute.
Winless run ended: Nine matches without a win (three draws, six defeats), United’s worst such run since 1988.
Background and Context
United arrived at the Roma match in a full-blown crisis of results. They had not won in nine matches in all competitions, a run stretching back almost two months, and they sat outside the Premier League relegation zone only on goal difference after taking seven points from nine league games.
Roma, by contrast, executed Gasperini’s fast, direct plan ruthlessly in the first half, exploiting United errors in midfield. After the break, United moved more without the ball and stopped giving it away in dangerous areas, while Roma sat too deep and invited pressure until the errors came.
What Happens Next?
United now face Aston Villa at the weekend, a fixture that will test whether Tuesday night was a genuine turning point or a one-off night of emotion at Old Trafford. Carrick will hope the belief generated by the comeback carries into the league, where United urgently need points.
In Europe, the win keeps United’s league-phase campaign alive, but Cunha’s suspension forces a reshuffle, and Baleba’s hamstring injury is another concern. Lacey, whose 15-minute cameo changed the match, has given Carrick a valuable new option on the right flank.
FAQs
What was the score between Manchester United and Roma? Manchester United won 3-2 at Old Trafford on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, in the UEFA Champions League league phase.
Who scored for Manchester United? Bruno Fernandes scored a second-half penalty, and Matheus Cunha scored twice, in the 83rd and 86th minutes.
How long had Manchester United gone without a win? Nine matches across all competitions, their worst winless run since 1988, before the Roma comeback.
Sources and Verification
Reuters, 3 November 2026: Cunha struck twice after the break as United overturned a two-goal deficit to beat Roma 3-2.
Squawka, 3 November 2026: the 3-2 comeback ended a nine-match winless run; Cunha scored in the 83rd and 86th minutes, was booked in the 87th and sent off in the 91st.
USA Today, 3 November 2026: Baleba suffered a hamstring injury early in the second half and was replaced by Tielemans in the 51st minute.
The Peoples Person, 3 November 2026: Soule and Malen put Roma 2-0 up; Fernandes scored from a retaken penalty; Lacey assisted Cunha’s winner.
