Como 4-1 Man Utd: Nico Paz inspires rout as Carrick's crisis deepens
Manchester United's miserable start to the season reached a new low as they were thrashed 4-1 by Como in the Champions League at the Giuseppe Sinigaglia, with Sky Sports describing a "dreadful 4-1 defeat" that extended their winless run to seven matches (Sky Sports). The Guardian noted the result leaves Michael Carrick under even more pressure as United's torrid campaign refuses to improve (The Guardian).
Como, buoyed by a rampant display, took the lead inside two minutes when Nico Paz finished from the centre of the box after being set up by Lucas Da Cunha. The hosts doubled their advantage early in the second half through Anastasios Douvikas, who was played through by Paz, before Paz completed his brace on 57 minutes with a left-footed finish from the right side of the box. Jacobo Ramón added a fourth with a close-range header from Kaiki's assist in the 76th minute, putting the game beyond doubt. United's lone reply came deep into stoppage time when substitute Joshua Zirkzee converted a cross from fellow substitute Amad Diallo.
The night turned sour for United early on when Andrey Santos was booked for a bad foul in the first half, and further yellow cards followed for Carlos Baleba and substitute Shea Lacey as discipline unravelled alongside the scoreline. Como also picked up a caution for Marc-Oliver Kempf late on, but it was United who finished with the worse disciplinary record, three bookings to one.
Carrick made changes at the break, sending on Amad Diallo and Carlos Baleba for Matheus Cunha and Santos, but the switches did little to stem the tide as Como struck twice more after the restart. Further changes followed as Zirkzee, Harry Amass and Lacey were introduced, with Zirkzee's late consolation offering the only crumb of comfort on an otherwise chastening evening.
Statistically, Como were the superior side throughout, dominating possession with 54.8 per cent and registering eight shots on target from 11 attempts compared to United's four on target from 13. Como also completed 597 of 669 passes against United's 474 from 546, underlining their control for long periods.
Manchester Evening News did not hold back in their assessment of individual performances, handing out marks including "one 2/10 and four 3/10s" as United were "humbled" in Lombardy (Manchester Evening News). The same outlet revealed Carrick's reaction after full time showed exactly where he laid the blame, reporting he was "livid with his players" (Manchester Evening News), while a fan poll from the title asked whether Carrick should be sacked following the chastening defeat (Manchester Evening News).
There was also a subplot involving a familiar face in the Como ranks, with Manchester Evening News explaining the background to Willy Kambwala's move to the Italian club ahead of the fixture (Manchester Evening News). The result leaves United, who sit 13th in the Premier League, facing fresh scrutiny over their form and direction as the Champions League campaign continues to expose deep problems within Carrick's squad.
Written with the help of AI, using the match facts and the headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
