Two down at half-time against Roma's man-for-man press, United pressed back: a retaken Fernandes penalty and two Cunha goals in three minutes ended nine games without a win.
The numbers
| Manchester United | AS Roma | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 52% | 48% |
| Shots | 15 | 7 |
| On target | 6 | 4 |
| xG | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| Touches in opp. box | 30 | 8 |
| Corners | 3 | 1 |
| Pass accuracy | 82% | 82% |
| Duels won | 65 | 46 |
| Fouls | 11 | 14 |
Result the chances deserved: Manchester United 61% / 18% / AS Roma 21% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Lammens, Yoro, Maguire, Heaven, Dalot, Baleba, Mainoo, Amad, Fernandes, Cunha, Mbeumo.
AS Roma (3-4-2-1): Vásquez, Mancini, Balerdi, Hermoso, Rensch, Cristante, De Roon, Wesley, Soulé, Mora, Malen.
Roma subs: Lulli (21', Rensch), Pisilli (46', Mora), Ghilardi (75', Mancini), N'Dicka (76', Hermoso), Castro (78', Malen). Bookings: Soulé (20'), Lulli (35'), Malen (42'). Roma coach: Gian Piero Gasperini. Vásquez, Roma's third-choice goalkeeper, made his club debut (SI).
Line-ups from FotMob, ESPN and Goal. Sub minutes from ESPN, SI and Goal; FotMob has Tielemans on at 46' and Martínez at 70'. Malen's penalty is 17' for Opta Analyst and ESPN, 18' for FotMob and Goal. FotMob, ESPN and SI list United in a 4-2-3-1 with Dalot at left-back, Goal in a 3-4-2-1; ESPN and FotMob also differ on whether Cunha or Mbeumo started up front, and The Independent says the two swapped roles at half-time.
Key moments, move by move
- Mainoo loses the ball in midfield, and Malen finds Mora (Goal, The National).
- Mora sweeps a cross-field ball towards United's left. Heaven jumps for it and misses (The Independent).
- Dalot has pushed up from left-back and is caught upfield, so Soulé is unmarked and takes a touch (Opta Analyst).
- His low left-footed shot goes into the bottom-right corner past Lammens: 1–0 Roma (Opta Analyst, ESPN).
- Roma get into the box on United's left again, with Dalot out of position (The Independent). Maguire's clearance goes straight to Soulé (Opta Analyst, SI).
- Soulé's shot hits Heaven's outstretched arm: a penalty.
- Malen sends Lammens the wrong way from 12 yards: 2–0.
- Cunha goes down in the box after a tangle with Mancini: a penalty (Opta Analyst, The Herald).
- Vásquez saves Fernandes's first kick, but VAR finds that Cristante, who cleared the rebound, ran into the area too early: the kick is retaken (Goal, Flashscore).
- Fernandes sends Vásquez the wrong way and puts the retake high into the net (Goal, ESPN): 2–1. His 44th goal from 50 United penalties (Opta Analyst).
- United keep Roma in their half. Fernandes clips a cross in from the left (Goal, The Irish News).
- Balerdi swings at the ball to clear it and misses it completely (Opta Analyst, The Herald).
- Cunha is behind him and turns it in from close range: 2–2.
- Lacey, on for Amad on the right at 75', gets on the ball.
- He slots Cunha in on the right of the box, at a tight angle (Flashscore, Opta Analyst).
- Cunha hits it with his laces past Vásquez at the near post, in off the inside of the post: 3–2 (Opta Analyst, The Irish News). He takes his shirt off, goes into the crowd and is booked.
Roma's man-for-man press won the first half; United's high press won the second
- The selection. Carrick dropped Martínez after his red card at Chelsea and recalled Heaven. With Shaw injured there was no natural left-back, so Dalot played there (The Independent). With Svilar injured and Gollini a doubt (Goal), Roma's third-choice keeper, Devis Vásquez, made his debut (SI).
- The first half. Roma followed United man for man all over the pitch, and United made one technical error after another (SI). Both goals came on United's left, where Dalot had pushed on and Heaven was left exposed (Sky Sports). Roma made all of their 1.60 xG before the break (FotMob); United made 0.24 (Opta Analyst).
- The half-time change. Cunha and Mbeumo swapped roles (The Independent), and United pressed high. Gasperini: “They made modifications at half-time and had nothing left to lose, so they pressed high.” Baleba burst into the box straight after the restart, pulled his hamstring and went off at 51'.
- The comeback. Cunha won the penalty, Fernandes scored the retake, and moments later Mbeumo hit both posts. Cristante also cleared a Dalot header off the line (The Independent). Balerdi's miss gave Cunha the equaliser at 83'; three minutes later Lacey, on at 75', made the winner.
Tactical scenes
At half-time Cunha and Mbeumo swapped roles and United pushed up onto Roma's three centre-backs and two midfielders. Gasperini said Roma could no longer stick to their reference points, so United had the better of it pressing and attacking. Cunha won the penalty after a tangle with Mancini, and the equaliser came from a cross Balerdi failed to clear under pressure.
Evidence: Roma had no shots and no touches in United's box after the break (FotMob), after seven shots and 1.60 xG before it. United had 10 of their 15 shots and 2.5 of their 2.7 xG after half-time (Opta Analyst). FotMob: Gasperini on the collapse · Opta Analyst: match stats · FotMob match page (xG, shots, line-ups)
Recreate it in FM26
Manchester United · Carrick's second half: press the back three high · 4-2-3-1Show cardHide card
Carrick's second half: press the back three high
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Lammens | Goalkeeper | Goalkeeper |
| RB | Yoro | Full-Back | Holding Full-Back |
| RCB | Maguire | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Stopping Centre-Back |
| LCB | Heaven | Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LB | Dalot | Wing-Back | Full-Back |
| RDM | Baleba | Box-to-Box Midfielder | Pressing Defensive Midfielder |
| LDM | Mainoo | Deep-Lying Playmaker | Screening Defensive Midfielder |
| RW | Amad | Winger | Tracking Winger |
| AM | Fernandes | Advanced Playmaker | Tracking Attacking Midfielder |
| LW | Cunha | Inside Forward | Inside Outlet Winger |
| ST | Mbeumo | Channel Forward | Tracking Centre Forward |
Team instructions
In Possession
- TempoHigher
- PatienceWork Ball Into Box
- DribblingEncouraged
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementHigh Press
- Trigger PressMore Often
- TacklingAggressive
The idea: A 4-2-3-1 that presses a back three high, with an Inside Forward moving into the middle and a Tracking Attacking Midfielder who jumps onto a centre-back. You need midfielders with stamina and a left-back who knows when not to go.
What FM26 can't copy: FM26 can't reproduce the retaken penalty or Balerdi's missed clearance, which turned the game.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Formation 3-4-2-1, Lacey on at 60' (for Amad), Mazraoui on at 46' (for Dalot). Start with a back three so a centre-back covers the switch to Soulé, keep the second-half press, and bring Lacey on earlier. Roma lose most of their first-half chances, and United's win comes with less drama. It moves Manchester United's win chance from 61% to 72% (xG 2.70–1.60 becomes 2.90–1.20). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer Manchester United needed
Shea Lacey
Amad was shut down by Wesley for 75 minutes (SI). Lacey troubled Wesley far more in his 15 minutes (SI) and set up the winner. Carrick said he plays with “a bit of mischief” (Sky Sports). Against a tiring wing-back, earlier was better.
Joško Gvardiol
Both Roma goals came from the space behind United's left-back, with Dalot, a right-back by trade, caught upfield (The Independent). Gvardiol plays left-back or left centre-back, so he can go forward with the play or tuck in beside the centre-backs when the ball is switched.
What the analysts said
“This place does incredible things, magical things, and we spoke about it at half-time.”Michael Carrick (via beIN Sports)
“I thought we grew into it a little bit in the first half after giving away the goals too easily.”Michael Carrick (via beIN Sports)
“It's one game so it depends on what happens next.”Michael Carrick (Amazon Prime, via beIN Sports)
“They made modifications at half-time and had nothing left to lose, so they pressed high.”Gian Piero Gasperini (Sky Sport Italia, via FotMob)
“Hopefully this win today gives the start of something good for us.”Bruno Fernandes (Amazon Prime, via Sky Sports)
United were second best for a half, then pressed Roma into giving the game back.
What's happening. United won 3–2 after being two goals down at half-time, and ended a run of nine games without a win. Fernandes scored a retaken penalty, then Cunha scored twice in three minutes and was sent off in stoppage time. Roma are the first side in European Cup history to lose twice in one season from two goals up (Opta Analyst).
How it works. Roma mark man for man. That works while they have the legs to follow every runner, and it leaves space on the far side when a full-back pushes on, which is where both Roma goals came from. After half-time United pressed Roma's back three high. Gasperini said his side could no longer follow their men, so they could neither press nor play out. The cost of pressing like that is the space behind; Roma never got to it.
What the shots say. United made more xG than Roma (FotMob), the first time since Sabah in September they have out-created an opponent. All of Roma's shots came before the break. One reading: the second half shows what this side can do when it presses with intent, and it should start games that way. The other: Roma were two up and tiring, and the first half, with the same gaps on the left, is the more familiar United.