Michael Carrick was staring down the barrel, Manchester United trailing 2-0 against Roma, when Bryan Cristante’s foot changed everything. In that brutal moment, with Roma fans going wild, it felt like the end for Carrick as head coach. But then Carlos del Cerro Grande, the VAR, stepped in. He advised a retake, and just like that, the entire night’s course shifted. Fernandes kept his cool, buried the second attempt, and then Matheus Cunha exploded with two goals in the final seven minutes. Even without all the drama leading up to the game, it was one of the most improbable comebacks you will ever see. Even Cunha getting sent off right after would not deny United their first win in ten games, finally giving them some breathing room after what had been a truly dreadful few weeks.
From Disaster to Dominance: That Wild Comeback
You have to wonder what was going through Carrick’s mind when that first penalty was saved. What did he even say at half-time after a first half so bad it had United legends Wayne Rooney and Nicky Butt, covering the game for Amazon Prime, ripping into them? There was a scary sense of deja vu. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, reflecting on his own dismissal, said in September 2023, “I knew at half-time against Watford.” He was talking about being down two goals at Vicarage Road, the same scoreline, the same kind of desperate situation. Carrick was right there on the bench as one of Solskjaer’s coaches when they went on to lose 4-1 that day. But not this time.
Carrick’s Mindset: The “One Moment” That Changed It All
Despite how bleak things looked, Carrick clearly has a totally different, positive mindset. He said at half-time he wanted his squad to be “more positive if anything, and not get too disappointed and frustrated.” He pointed out how easy it is to “keep trying to do something is feeling sorry for yourself.” He hammered home that if things go wrong, getting disappointed “is not going to help anybody.” Carrick pushed them to “keep looking for the next moment, the next solution.” He does not “like to keep talking to the lads about what this place can do and the history and what’s gone before too much, but it’s there.” He believes this place “does magical things” and has “done it before.” He told the boys, “one moment can flip the whole place in a different direction. Let’s have one moment that can trigger it. And we had that.” Rooney, who was practically begging United’s players to “show some passion and desire” after a “nothing” first half, could only heap praise on Carrick after the final whistle. He said Carrick “deserves a lot of credit” because he changed everything around. “Whatever he said to the team at half-time, that got them on the front foot and got that belief in them that they could win the game.”
Carrick himself refused to get down, even when Fernandes initially missed that penalty. He said, “I didn’t chuckle, I didn’t smile, I wasn’t happy about it.” But for him, “it felt almost like ‘there’s another moment’.” He felt “quite calm” because he had a feeling the boys “were in a place leaving the changing room that they felt something could happen.” He gave huge credit to Bruno, saying for him “to double take that penalty” and “to have the mentality and finish like that – he deserves a lot.” What a turn-around for United. After weeks of struggle, this win gives the team some crucial breathing room.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by BBC Sport.
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