PARIS: Manchester United fought back from two goals down to beat AS Roma3-2intheChampions League on Tuesday to hand beleaguered manager Michael Carrick a reprieve, while holders Paris Saint-Germain continued their perfect start in the competition by hitting Villarreal for six.
Looking set for another abject defeat when two behind within 18 minutes through a smart Mathias Soule finish and Donyell Malen’s penalty, United staged a thrilling comeback in the second half to turn a poisonous atmosphere at Old Trafford into one of joy.
Matheus Cunha, who was sent off in stoppage time, saved the day for United with a brace in three minutes with the final whistle nearing, sparking wild celebrations in the stands.
Those scenes at the end of the game couldn’t have been more different to the anger which pulsated around the ground in the first half, when United fans threw tennis balls and other objects onto the Old Trafford pitch and directed foul-mouthed chants at the club’s majority owners, the Glazer family.
‘We knew that the fans would be behind us until the last day; we just had to get a result for them, United captain Bruno Fernandes told TNT.
United head into Sunday’s match with Aston Villa, beaten 3-0 at Barcelona, in an entirelydifferent mood after punishing slapdash Roma who vanished in the second half after having shown why they look like league title contenders in Italy.
‘I spoke at half-time about being positive.
Anything can happen here, Pye seen it many times over the years,’ said Carrick. ‘You just need something to go our way, and the boys were fantastic in the second half.
Roma, who also threw away a commanding lead against Real Madrid in their only other defeat of the season,faned to deala knockout blow and crumbled once Bruno Fernandes pulled United back into the game in the 58th minute at the second time of asking from the penalty spot.
The Portuguese thumped home past Roma’s third-choice goalkeeper Devis Vasquez, who saved the first attempt but was let down by his team-mates encroaching in the penalty area.
And that set up Cunha to hit Roma with a one-two that decided a thrilling encounter and gave Carrick some breathing room with the international break coming up after the weekend.
PERFECT PSG PSG were in a ruthless mood even without star player Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as they beat Villarreal 6-0 on a night in which Europe’s elite clubs paid tribute to tragic Tenerife player Jesus deMiguel with a moment’s silence before kick-offs.
De Miguel died aged 30 from injuries he suffered in a sickening collision with FC Andorra’s goalkeeper in a Spanish second-division match, leaving football in mourning and condolences pouring in from around the globe.
PSG tore into sorry Villarreal, with Joao Neves, Desire Doue, Senny Mayulu and Fabian Ruiz all striking in eight firsthalf minutes as the French outfit set a record for thefastest four goals scored in a match in Europe’s elite club competition.
It certainly didn’t look like PSG were missing Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembele, captain Marquinhos and Nuno Mendes, and further strikes from Spain World Cup star Ruiz and teenager David Boly rounded off a stellar performance which put Luis Enrique’s team top of the table.
‘We were impressivethroughout, and we are really pleased even if it is very difficult for Villarreal,’ said Luis Enrique. ‘But it is hard when you play against a team like us that presses constantly.
Another team missing a host of stars in Bayern Munich saw off Atletico Madrid 2-0 to move into the top eight positions.
Teenage Germany forward Lennart Karl and Konrad Laimer netted in the second half in Madrid as Bayern triumpheddespite the absence of Jamal Musiala, Luis Diaz, Serge Gnabry and Ismael Saibari.
Meanwhile, Barcelona eased to a 3-0 home win over Aston Villa after Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the seventh minute and Raphinha added a second-half double.
Barca coach Flick was pleased with his side keeping Villa at bay.
‘It was important that we defended together verycompactly,’ said the German coach. ‘The back line played on an amazing level; they defended everything.
The victory came at a cost, though, as Barca midfielder Rodri suffered a hamstring injury and will miss Saturday’s La Liga clash against Atletico.
‘Tests have confirmed a minor injury to his right hamstring,’ said Barcelona in a statement on Wednesday. ‘He will miss next match against Atletico Madrid. His exact recovery time will depend on how the injury develops.
Inter Milan were equally convincing, beating Feyenoord 3-0 at De Kuip. Inter recovered from the derby defeat at the weekend with a comfortable win, which came through goals from Yann Bisseck, Pio Esposito and Piotr Zielinski.
‘We knew that quality was already there. It was about determination, pride, and character values that this group has always demonstrated, Inter boss Cristian Chivu told reporters.
Elsewhere, LASK claimed only their second ever Champions League win in a 4-0 triumph over Slovan Bratislava, while hosts Bodo/Glimt drew 0-0 with Lille.
Earlier, Aleksey Batrakov scored twice as Galatasaray beat VfB Stuttgart 2-0, while Sporting Lisbon defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.-Agencies