Como vs Manchester United rout leaves Carrick in peril

Michael Carrick did not stop beside his players when the final whistle blew. He walked past them, alone, towards the away end, raising his hands again and again in apology to the travelling supporters. Of the 700 who had made the trip, only around 200 were still standing in the rain at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia to receive it.

They had just watched Champions League debutants Como take apart Manchester United 4–1. The result leaves Carrick's position more fragile than at any point in his tenure, and his relationship with his captain under open scrutiny. Nicolás Paz scored twice and set up another. United's only reply came in the 90th minute.

Nicolás Paz punishes United before they settle

The tone was set inside two minutes. Lucas da Cunha slid the ball inside to Paz near the edge of the area. Harry Maguire backed off, and Paz shifted onto his left foot and curled a shot into the far top corner from around 18 yards.

For the visitors, it was an unwanted piece of history. United had also conceded inside the opening two minutes against Atlético Madrid on matchday two, making them the first English club in European Cup and Champions League history to do so in back-to-back matches.

Torrential wind and rain swept across the lakeside ground and left the pitch slick, and the conditions did nothing to steady a side already short of conviction. Matthijs de Ligt, making his first competitive start in eleven months after back surgery, was thrown straight into the storm. His previous start had come in November 2025.

Como might have doubled their lead before the break. In the 41st minute Douvikas went down under a challenge from goalkeeper Senne Lammens inside the area, but the penalty appeals were dismissed because the striker had strayed offside. It stayed 1–0 at half-time, the last point at which United were genuinely in the contest.

Douvikas and Paz rip United open after the break

Four minutes into the second half, the game was effectively settled. Martin Baturina found Paz between the lines, and Paz threaded a pass behind the defence for Douvikas. The striker slipped clear of De Ligt, opened his body and swept a low finish past Lammens into the bottom corner.

It was Douvikas's sixth goal in all competitions this season from 10 appearances. He has now scored in three of Como's last six matches.

Eight minutes later Paz added his second, and it captured United's evening in one move. He dispossessed Carlos Baleba in midfield, ran straight at the box and drove a low finish past the advancing Lammens. These were his first Champions League goals, and he now has four in all competitions this season across 10 appearances.

The numbers describe precision against noise. United finished with more shots, 13 to 11, and won four corners to Como's one, yet only four of their attempts troubled the goalkeeper. Como held 55% of the ball, put eight of their 11 shots on target and turned that accuracy into four goals.

Jacobo Ramón Naveros heads in as United's resistance dissolves

The fourth came from an unlikely source. On 76 minutes Álex Valle released substitute Kaiki down the left, and his cross into the six-yard box found centre-back Jacobo Ramón Naveros, who had arrived unmarked after a long run forward and headed into the net. It was his second goal of the season in all competitions, in 10 appearances.

United's consolation arrived in the 90th minute. Amad Diallo worked space on the right and lifted the ball into the box, where Joshua Zirkzee controlled it on the bounce, turned and struck a low left-footed finish inside the far post past Jean Butez. A brief VAR check on the build-up confirmed the goal.

It changed nothing. United collected three yellow cards to Como's one, a fair measure of a side that spent most of the night a step behind.

Carrick's future wobbles as Fernandes questions the approach

For United, the scoreline is only part of the problem. The defeat stretches their winless run across all competitions to seven matches, three draws and four losses, their longest since late 2015. Carrick has managed just two wins in 11 games this campaign.

The mood around the squad is worse still. Bruno Fernandes has publicly questioned the coaching staff's passive pressing instructions, and that open dispute between captain and manager dominated the reaction in England. Lisandro Martínez has also publicly questioned the club's recruitment. The English press called the night a humiliation and reported that Carrick's tenure hangs by a thread ahead of emergency internal evaluations at the club.

The day had begun badly off the pitch, too. In the early hours of matchday, a violent altercation in Piazza Volta involving visiting supporters left three English fans in hospital.

In Italy, the verdict could hardly have been more different. The press hailed a historic masterpiece and a tactical clinic from Cesc Fàbregas, contrasting Como's aggressive fluidity with an opponent portrayed as demoralised and in freefall.

The table now reflects the gulf. Como, in their first Champions League campaign, have six points from three games and sit ninth, having opened with a historic win over Leipzig. United, who beat Sabah on matchday one, are 20th on three points. The question is no longer whether pressure is building on Carrick. It is how much longer the club is prepared to absorb it.