By NORTHERN ITALY — Manchester United’s UEFA Champions League campaign hit a severe roadblock on Wednesday night as Cesc Fabregas’s relentless Como side handed the Reds a chastening 4-1 defeat at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinagaglia.
A master-class performance from Nico Paz—who netted a sparkling double—alongside strikes from Anastasios Douvikas and Jacopo Ramon, swept the hosts to a famous victory in the torrential northern Italian rain. While United offered late resistance through substitute Joshua Zirkzee, this was a difficult evening that laid bare the defensive frailties and tactical hurdles facing the visiting side.
Early Setback Sets the Tone
Playing against a backdrop of heavy rain and vocal support from over 700 traveling United fans, Michael Carrick’s side struggled to find their footing early on. Carrick had made four changes from the weekend’s 1-1 draw against Leeds United, most notably handing Matthijs de Ligt his first appearance in 325 days following a gruelling 11-month layoff from back surgery.
However, just as they did in their previous European outing, United fell behind inside the opening moments. In the 3rd minute, Como’s danger man Nico Paz found space on the edge of the area and expertly bent his shot into the corner past Senne Lammens.
Despite Diogo Dalot coming close within the opening 90 seconds and Harry Maguire glancing a header wide from a Bryan Mbeumo cross, United found themselves constantly pressurized in possession by a tenacious, high-tempo Como unit orchestrated by Fabregas.
Second-Half Collapse
Hoping to spark a revival, Carrick introduced Carlos Baleba and Amad at the interval, replacing Santos and Matheus Cunha. Instead, the game quickly slipped further away from the visitors.
Just four minutes after the restart, Paz turned provider, setting up Anastasios Douvikas to rifle a powerful strike past Lammens. Things went from bad to worse in the 57th minute when Paz drove menacingly into the box and steered a clinical low shot into the far corner for his second of the night, effectively killing the contest.
Fabregas’s men continued to exploit the spaces, and centre-back Jacopo Ramon added a fourth on 76 minutes, powering home a close-range header from a pinpoint Kaiki Bruno cross.
Positives Amid the Disappointment
While the score-line made for grim reading for the English giants, there were a couple of welcome silver linings on a miserable night.
De Ligt came through a demanding 79 minutes on his long-awaited return to competitive action before being replaced by Harry Amass. Furthermore, substitute Joshua Zirkzee injected some life into the attack during stoppage time, bringing down a cross and steering a composed finish through the legs of Como goalkeeper Jean Butez. A subsequent VAR review confirmed the goal, but it proved to be nothing more than a late consolation.
United will need to dust themselves off quickly as they turn their attention back to domestic duties, hosting Bournemouth at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
