The third round of the Champions League group stage proved to be a disastrous outing for Manchester United. On a wet evening at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium, Como, led by Cesc Fabregas, delivered a 4-1 thrashing to the English club. This defeat stretched United's winless run to seven matches in all competitions and put Michael Carrick's tenure under significant scrutiny.
Both managers faced selection dilemmas before the kick-off. Como lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, opting for a quick transition game complemented by a technical trio behind their striker. Goalkeeper Butez was protected by a backline of Jan Koutu, Jacobo Ramon, Kempf, and Valle, while Milja and Perrone anchored the midfield. Up front, Da Kunha, Nico Pas, and Baturina supported the lone forward, Duvikas.
For United, Matthijs de Ligt made his first start in nearly a year following a serious back operation. With the suspended Yoro absent, he partnered with Harry Maguire at the heart of defence. Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui filled the full-back positions, with Andre Santos and Youri Tielemans in the deep midfield roles. The attacking quartet featured Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount, and Yoane Wissa, while goalkeeper Lamens took his place between the posts.
The match kicked off on the rain-soaked pitch with an early scare for the visitors. Just two minutes in, Matheus Cunha threaded a clever pass to Dalot, who squandered a golden opportunity, firing wide when one-on-one with the keeper. The punishment for this miss came swiftly. Moments later, Lucas Da Kunha picked out Nico Pas with a pinpoint ball, and the Argentine left Maguire trailing before curling a stunning effort into Lamens' far corner.
This quick breakthrough instilled confidence in the home side, who quickly took control of the game. United struggled to keep pace, appearing passive and making repeated positional errors. This culminated in a clumsy challenge from Santos on the 25th minute, resulting in a deserved booking. The teams went into the break with Como holding a narrow lead, but the quality of football between the sides was glaringly disparate.
Desperate to alter the game's trajectory, Michael Carrick initiated a double substitution at half-time, removing the ineffective Santos and Cunha for Carlos Baleba and Amad Diallo. However, this tactic backfired immediately.
Just four minutes after the restart, Nico Pas sliced open United's defence with a fantastic pass, setting Duvikas free. The Greek forward raced between a static De Ligt and Maguire before firing a powerful shot past Lamens into the bottom corner. Moments later, Baleba earned a yellow card for a late challenge, and by the 57th minute, he'd gifted another goal to Como. An errant pass from the United midfielder was seized upon by Pas, who sauntered through the defensive line before slotting the ball past a helpless Lamens, completing his brace.
Realising the hopelessness of their situation, Carrick opted to substitute captain Bruno Fernandes for Zirkzee in the 67th minute. Fabregas responded with a series of changes, introducing Kaiki Bruno and Kaka to freshen up Como’s performance.
Como showed no signs of letting up, and in the 76th minute, they orchestrated a superb team goal. Central defender Jacobo Ramon surged into the attack, meeting a perfect cross from Kaiki Bruno and burying a header into the net for 4-0. United’s woes deepened with cautions for Kempf in the 84th minute and Lacey shortly after.
It wasn't until injury time that United finally found the net, with Diallo playing Zirkzee through on goal. The Dutch striker dashed past the offside trap and slid the ball past Butez, giving the visitors a consolation goal to finish at 4-1.
The standout performer of the evening was undeniably Nico Pas, who recorded two goals and an assist. While possession stats were relatively even (55% for Como to 45% for United), the quality of chances created was not. The expected goals metric was stark; around 2.0 xG for the Italians opposed to about 1.0 xG for United.
For Cesc Fabregas' side, this commanding victory continued their remarkable debut in the tournament, having previously triumphed by the same scoreline against RB Leipzig. For Manchester United, this defeat marks their second in the current campaign, joining the ranks of the club's most humiliating international losses in decades, evoking memories of the infamous 0-4 thumping by Barcelona in 1994. Fabregas' team demonstrated superior organisation, compactness, and tactical discipline, casting serious doubts on the viability of Carrick’s project at United.
