Pundits everywhere will be eating their crow after mercilessly lambasting Manchester United for their first half performance against AS Roma in today’s Champions League tie.
Those same voices will also be declaring Man U’s triumphant return, commenting on how this win will resurrect the ghost of United’s winning past. But notwithstanding this stunning reversal after going down 2-0 to AS Roma in today’s Champions League tie, you cannot say that Manchester United are back.
Not even close.
Sad First Half Facts
Manchester United managed a limp 0.27 xG. They had five shots, all outside the box; only one of those on target. They showed almost no energy or drive. The side was (correctly) booed as they shuffled into the dressing room. Chants of “We want Glazers out, say we want Glazers out!” echoed throughout Old Trafford.
Irate fans threw tennis balls and half-eaten food onto the pitch during the break, seemingly resigned that the club’s nine-game streak without a win would extend to double-digits.
The performance was so lackluster that it sparked Man U legend Wayne Rooney to explain on air during the Amazon Prime coverage:
“You are in the Champions League and you are expecting with all the talk and criticism of the players some sort of reaction, and there was nothing, absolutely NOTHING. Roma came out and took the ball, they were more aggressive, winning tackles. I haven’t seen anyone at Manchester United putting a tackle in. You just want to see some sort of fight, and yeah, you might be losing the game, your individual battles, but show some passion, show some desire to try and get back in the football game.”
Roma’s Second Half Gifts
While it got better, this type of turnaround didn’t seem possible in the first ten minutes of the second half. And it was right around the 57th minute when AS Roma started delivering all the gifts that would enable United to come back.
- The penalty. Gianluca Mancini leaned in too hard on Matheus Cunha in the box.
- The do-over. Bruno Fernandes’ first penalty attempt was saved and cleared. But VAR intervened to say the clearing defender encroached, and Fernandes got a second chance.
- The howler. In the 83rd minute, a routine Bruno Fernandes cross was whiffed by defender Balerdi. It landed right on Cunha’s foot, and the resulting sitter was buried.
- The goose eggs. AS Roma had zero shots, zero touches in the United box and zero corners. It was a total and inexplicable capitulation from the visitors.
I’m not trying to take anything away from United. In the end, gifts or no, they found enough to take three unanswered goals and walk away with a win. But let’s also not read too much into this. Ultimately, 30 minutes of gritty, determined play cannot caulk over the cracks and rifts of the past eight weeks.
Profile: Matheus Cunha
Nothing epitomizes the malaise, steel, passion, and idiocy of Manchester United than Cunha. Like the rest of his teammates, he was practically invisible in the first half. But he bloomed after coming out of the dressing room.
The Brazilian drew the penalty after being a menace in the box. Then he scored twice in “Fergie Time”, over the span of 2m43s, to flip the game on its arse. He also stripped off his kit and jumped into the crowd after the second goal, earning a yellow. Six minutes later, adrenaline still pumping, he made a rash challenge and earned a second yellow. All in all, it was quite a 90 minutes for the winger.
Warning‼️🚨
Manchester United next hosts Aston Villa, whose three game hot streak in the Champions League was ended by Barcelona. I would caution any true Devils fan to refrain from too much celebration and boastful proclamation until the final scoreline from Sunday’s fixture. Today’s win bought Michael Carrick until then. Only another equally inspiring performance might keep him around until after the International Break.
The Qooligan is an alias of Hooligan Soccer founder Q Williams. Q is a 20+ year veteran of numerous technology and media companies, including MTV, Gracenote, Watchwith and Crunchyroll. He has a master’s degree in European History from Columbia University. Q is also a respected Sports Journalist with extensive experience in Soccer, particularly the Premier League, Champions League, MLS and USL. The Qooligan provides analysis and valuable insights based on years of professional practice. Connect with The Qooligan on X and Bluesky. He is committed to delivering accurate, trustworthy content that reflects expertise, experience and no shortage of attitude.
