Manchester United’s six heaviest Champions League defeats, including Como loss
Manchester United were beaten 4-1 by Como on home soil in the UEFA Champions League this season, a result that ranks among the club’s heaviest losses in the competition.
Despite recent struggles, Manchester United remain one of Europe’s most decorated clubs: the Red Devils have won the English top flight 20 times and lifted the European Cup/UEFA Champions League on three occasions — 1968 (4-1 v Benfica in the final), 1999 (2-1 v Bayern Munich) and 2008 (beat Chelsea on penalties). The club’s form has deteriorated since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, and this season United are winless in the Champions League under head coach Michael Carrick.
Como’s Champions League debut ended emphatically in their favour as United, who entered the fixture on a six-match winless run, fell behind to Nico Paz in the second minute. Anastasios Douvikas put Como further ahead two minutes after the restart, Paz added a second for himself in the 57th minute and Jacobo Ramón made it 4-0 in the 76th; Joshua Zirkzee scored a stoppage-time consolation for United in the 4-1 final scoreline.
Manchester United’s heaviest-ever continental reverse remains a 4-0 loss to Barcelona at the old Camp Nou in 1994/95; Hristo Stoichkov opened in the ninth minute, Romário doubled the lead right before half-time, Stoichkov struck again in the 52nd minute and Albert Ferrer finished the scoring in the 88th minute.
A rotated United side at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia, fielded after qualification to the knockout stages had already been secured, suffered a 3-0 defeat to Maccabi when goalkeeper Ricardo Lopez and several teammates made their competitive bows. Yaniv Katan scored in the 40th minute, Raimondas Žutautas added a second in the 56th minute and Yakubu Ayegbeni converted a penalty in the 77th minute.
At the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in Istanbul, Tuncay Şanlı produced a second-half hat-trick as Fenerbahçe inflicted a 3-0 home victory on a weakened United side; his goals arrived in the 47th minute, the 62nd minute and stoppage time.
In the latter stages of the competition, United were overturned twice by elite opposition: after winning the first leg 3-2 at Old Trafford they lost 3-0 at San Siro to AC Milan, with Kaká scoring in the 11th minute, Clarence Seedorf in the 30th and Alberto Gilardino in the 78th minute. In a separate tie at Camp Nou, Barcelona defeated United 3-0 in a quarter-final second leg after a 1-0 first-leg loss at Old Trafford; Lionel Messi scored in the 16th and 20th minutes and Philippe Coutinho added a long-range effort in the 61st minute.
While the 4-1 loss to Como is among the six heaviest Champions League defeats in Manchester United’s history, the club’s worst margin in the competition remains the 4-0 reverse to Barcelona in 1994/95; United continue this season without a Champions League victory under Michael Carrick.