Man United's late 3-2 Champions League win over Roma evokes Mourinho and Solskjaer eras
Manchester United came from behind to beat Roma 3-2 in a Champions League match at Old Trafford on 4 November 2026, a result that prompted head coach Michael Carrick to embrace academy player Shea Lacey in the wake of the victory. Carrick said: "It's one win, so we're not getting too carried away with things, but it was an important win."
The late comeback transformed a hostile Old Trafford into one of celebration after a run stretching nine games and almost eight weeks without a win for the club. The result has been framed as buying Carrick time, though the article notes uncertainty over how much respite it provides and points out historical precedents at the club when single dramatic victories failed to secure long-term stability.
The piece recalls Jose Mourinho's situation in 2018 after a similar fightback in which United overturned a two-goal deficit to beat Newcastle 3-2; a Mirror headline read: "Jose Mourinho set to be sacked whatever Manchester United's result vs Newcastle." Mourinho had substituted Eric Bailly for Juan Mata after 19 minutes, Mata scored in the 70th minute and Alexis Sanchez completed the comeback in the final minute, but Mourinho was dismissed 10 weeks later following a 3-1 defeat at Liverpool in December 2018 amid claims the club had intended to sack him after the worst start to a season in 29 years.
The article also parallels Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's tenure, noting Rio Ferdinand dismissed calls for Solskjaer to be sacked before United's Champions League meeting with Atalanta on 20 October 2021. Carrick was part of Solskjaer's coaching group when United went top of the Premier League after beating Newcastle just over a month earlier; against Atalanta Gian Piero Gasperini's team led by two at half-time before Cristiano Ronaldo scored nine minutes from time to make it 3-2, and that sequence was followed weeks later by a 5-0 Old Trafford defeat by Liverpool and Solskjaer's dismissal after a 4-1 loss at Watford.
Current league form is presented as the rationale for caution: United have gone seven Premier League games without a win and the article warns they could be bottom of the table by the time they kick-off against Aston Villa on Sunday if results go against them. The piece contrasts this with an eight-game winless run under Ruben Amorim at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, which was interspersed with victories on the way to the Europa League final, and it highlights United's strong record at home to Villa — six successive wins in all competitions and only two league defeats at Old Trafford against the Midlands side since 1983.
The club's internal response is recounted: almost 48 hours after a 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth on 25 October, United communicated that Carrick and his players would be given the opportunity to turn the situation around without specifying a timescale, and the international break was seen as a moment for the hierarchy to take stock. In the two matches since that communication, Carrick's team were described as "excellent across two halves," but the article notes a £70m Carlos Baleba has joined the injured list; a win against Villa would move United to within two points of Unai Emery's side ahead of a post-international-break run beginning at Liverpool and including trips to Newcastle and Arsenal in December, while defeat would likely leave them in the relegation zone for at least a fortnight and facing severe baiting at Anfield on 22 November.
Carrick has repeatedly used the phrase "It's not about me," as he has assessed recent results, and the article reminds readers that he beat Manchester City and Arsenal in his first two games as interim boss. There is no suggestion his future has been decided, and the coming fixture at Old Trafford is presented as a key immediate test.
Manchester United host Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Sunday; the outcome is described in the article as particularly important for the club's immediate prospects.
