Manchester United's struggling season hit a new low on Wednesday with a 4-1 thrashing at Italian upstarts Como in the Champions League, piling further pressure on coach Michael Carrick. Carrick had called Sunday's point at Leeds a fresh start, but the team got off to the worst possible start on the shores of Lake Como when Nico Paz scored inside two minutes. It meant United became the first English club in Champions League history to concede in the first two minutes in back-to-back matches, following last week's loss to Atlético Madrid.
Further goals from Anastasios Douvikas, Paz again and Jacobo Ramón had the three-time winners on course to match their worst-ever loss in the competition before Joshua Zirkzee grabbed a consolation in stoppage time. It is still just the sixth loss by three-plus goals in United's Champions League history and the first since April 2019 against Barcelona.
"It was more than disappointing," Carrick told TNT Sports. "I 100% take responsibility for the overall team and the performance -- that's where it stops. It stops with me." He added that as a supporter who cares deeply about the club, such a performance was unacceptable. He went to apologize to the traveling fans at full time, saying there were no excuses.
The club was already in turmoil after Lisandro Martínez criticized the hierarchy over its offseason recruitment, with director of football Jason Wilcox the apparent target. Carrick's future is now in question, though he said the focus was on digesting the game. Como, coached by Cesc Fabregas, are competing in Europe for the first time in their 119-year history, and their win made them the first Italian club since Lazio in 1999-2000 to win their first two home games in the Champions League.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing