Manchester United overturned a two-goal deficit to beat Roma 3-2 at Old Trafford, with manager Michael Carrick crediting teenager Shea Lacey's "bit of mischief" for unlocking the Serie A side and easing the pressure on himself.
United looked set for a fourth consecutive defeat after Matias Soule's finish and Donyell Malen's penalty put Roma 2-0 up inside 17 minutes. However, a second-half comeback, sealed by Bruno Fernandes' retaken penalty and a brace from Mateus Cunha, ended a nine-game winless run.
Lacey's impact off the bench
Cunha grabbed the headlines with a coolly-taken first goal after a mistake by Leonardo Balerdi and a powerful second smashed in at the near post. But the revival was also sparked by the arrival of Lacey, who replaced Amad Diallo in the 75th minute with the score at 2-1.
The 19-year-old provided the incisive pass which set up Cunha's winning goal, in just his 10th first-team appearance for the club. Carrick was full of praise for his impact.
"Not going too over the top, but at the same time absolutely delighted for Shea," he said. "We love him to bits. He's a great young man, he's desperate to do well, he's got great ability. So in terms of coming inside and finding the pass, that's not surprising."
Carrick praises defensive side
"He's got that little glint in his eye, he plays with a bit of mischief, if you like, so he's always looking to have that. But I was just as happy seeing him defending as a right-back when we needed that in the moments when as a rounded footballer, you've got to be able to do that."
"So I was just as pleased seeing him do that in the defensive side, and seeing younger players take the opportunity. I think he gave everybody a bit of a lift coming on the pitch, and it was fantastic to see, and he made the most of what he had tonight."
Cunha's double and red card
Lacey helped give United renewed attacking impetus off the bench, but it was Cunha who stole the show after a tactical tweak at half-time. The Brazilian's passion was evident when he ripped off his shirt and jumped into the stands to celebrate his winner.
His performance lost some gloss after he slid in for an over-enthusiastic tackle in the closing stages, picking up a second yellow card and leaving his team down to 10 men in injury time.
"Matheus can do those things, he's got those moments," said Carrick. "We put him inside, we swapped him with Bryan [Mbeumo] at half-time to try and get him in the middle of the pitch, try and give us a little bit of different shape, and put him in the centre of the pitch, and he found himself in good positions."
"Disappointed with how it finished, but again just shows how much he cares and willing to do, and when he's in that frame of mind, he's in that mood and he plays like that, that's what we want from him."
