Manchester United v AS Roma - UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD4
Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images
Michael Carrick’s surprising result against Roma in the Champions League has been another eye-opening experience for Ineos about Manchester United’s unpredictable season.
Manchester United chief executive officer Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox were spotted in the crowd at Old Trafford for Tuesday’s match.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s regime has backed the under-pressure Michael Carrick to remain in the Old Trafford hot seat, despite the Red Devils’ woeful start to the campaign.
United In Focus has now looked at five things that Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox cannot ignore from Man Utd’s 3-2 comeback win against Serie A side Roma.
5. Man Utd fans’ ‘tennis ball protest’ was more impactful after the Red Devils’ terrible start against Roma
Roma added to Manchester United’s misery in the 2026-27 campaign under Michael Carrick after going 2-0 up inside the opening 20 minutes at Old Trafford. Matias Soule broke the deadlock in the 11th minute for Roma before Donyell Malen netted his penalty past Senne Lammens only six minutes later.
At around the 22-minute mark of Tuesday’s Champions League clash, United fans were spotted throwing tennis balls and other items onto the Old Trafford pitch. The reaction from the Man Utd supporters was the most telling sign of the disdain towards Ineos and the Glazers for how the Premier League club has been managed.
4. Diogo Dalot’s performance only reinforces Ineos’ short-sightedness in not signing a left-back in the summer
Both Luke Shaw and Patrick Dorgu were unavailable for Tuesday’s Champions League clash at Old Trafford. Harry Amass, meanwhile, had to settle for a place on the bench rather than starting at left-back for United, as Diogo Dalot received the nod from Carrick.
Diogo Dalot was at fault for Roma’s first-half opener and the 27-year-old Portuguese defender was the perfect symbol of Ineos’ shortcomings in the summer transfer market. United fans had pleaded for a new left-back signing amid Ineos’ midfield rebuild, but Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s team continued to be haunted by their costly decisions.
A specialist left-back is needed for United. If it is not Dalot in the role, then Ayden Heaven is being sacrificed out to the position as a makeshift option. Outside of the mistake that led to Roma’s penalty, Ayden Heaven showed why he needs to be readily available as a centre-back pick rather than a short-term solution at left-back.
READ MORE:Man Utd fans react to Diogo Dalot’s performance vs Roma as all are standing by clear verdict
3. Carlos Baleba’s injury sums up why Ineos needed to mix up their signings in the summer
Ineos have created a pattern with Man Utd in their last two summer transfer windows. Ratcliffe’s regime reinforced the forward line in 2025 under Ruben Amorim by signing Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko.
Fast-forward to the most recent summer and Youri Tielemans, Carlos Baleba and Andrey Santos arrived as part of the rebuild of the United first-team squad’s midfield. Baleba was forced off with an injury in the second half of the Roma clash and it raised questions about Ineos not mixing up the signings in the summer, including bringing in a forward alongside two midfielders instead.
If Youri Tielemans did not have the second-half impact that he did have in the match, then United fans would have been frustrated by the lack of forward options. United were chasing a 2-0 deficit and a striker was needed for additional firing power in the attack. Tielemans, Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha were a few of the players who helped cover the cracks on the night.
2. Lisandro Martinez’s influence in the Man Utd backline was not missed — and he should be offloaded next summer
Lisandro Martinez was dropped to the bench on Tuesday evening and Ayden Heaven came into the starting XI to partner alongside Harry Maguire. While Ayden Heaven made the critical mistake that led to Roma’s penalty in the first half, the 20-year-old United defender looked more comfortable as the match progressed.
If anything, Lisandro Martinez’s initial presence on the bench instead of the starting XI showed that United are ready to move forward without his influence for the long term. Martinez is out of contract next summer and Ineos know that activating his 12-month extension is the wrong thing to do right now.
Martinez did climb off the bench in the second half, but his introduction felt tactical rather than necessary. Heaven had picked up a booking five minutes before he was subbed off in the 75th minute and Carrick only wanted to ensure the Red Devils did not face a similar situation as they did against Chelsea. Martinez did what was required, but it showed United could play 75 minutes without him being indispensable to the Red Devils’ defensive structure.
1. Matheus Cunha not only handed a lifeline to Michael Carrick, but he spared the blushes of Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox
Man Utd found some fight-back in the second half and managed to overturn a 2-0 deficit against Roma. Bruno Fernandes sparked United’s comeback from the spot-kick in the 58th minute before Matheus Cunha’s show-stealing impact in the dying stages of the match.
Matheus Cunha pulled United level against Roma in the 83rd minute before the 27-year-old Brazilian completed his brace only three minutes later. Both Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox looked miserable during United fans’ first-half protest. But even the two Ineos-appointed figures received a reprieve from a potentially hostile Old Trafford reception thanks to Cunha’s sensational performance.