Wayne Rooney covering Manchester United's win over Roma in the Champions League
Photo by Mike Morese/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Wayne Rooney has urged the Manchester United players to build on their comeback win over Roma when they host Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.
Manchester United ended a nine-game winless run across all competitions after coming from behind to beat Roma 3-2 at Old Trafford on Tuesday night. The result means the Reds have six points from their first four games in the Champions League, with four more to play in the league phase of the competition.
Roma held a two-goal lead after 18 minutes, but threw it away in the second half after goals from Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha (x2). The crucial win comes at a time when Michael Carrick needed it most, as pressure mounts on the head coach to keep his job.
United will be tasked with making it back-to-back wins when they host Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday. Otherwise, Carrick’s side could be sitting in the relegation zone for the international break.
Man Utd can’t be ‘passive’ against Aston Villa, says Wayne Rooney
United were passive and reactionary in the first half. After conceding two early goals, the team looked flat for the remainder of the first half. It didn’t look like they had the desire to get back into the game.
That changed in the second half. Fernandes converted his spot kick before the hour mark, and Cunha scored two goals in as many minutes before receiving a second yellow card towards the end of the match.
Ultimately, it was a game of two halves, but Wayne Rooney has urged the United players to bottle up the final 45 minutes that saw them turn the game on its head and beat Roma. He told Amazon Prime (via BBC Sport): “They have to try and bottle that feeling of that second half because I thought the whole place, on the pitch, in the crowd changed, and that’s how they have to play.
“They have to play front-footed. They have to take that into the Aston Villa game because if they are passive as they were in the first half, they will lose the game. They have to continue to play [on the front foot].”
The win over Roma means United move up to the top half of the table, but there could be more movement in the standings on Wednesday night. It’s a step in the right direction for Carrick and his team.