Manchester United's 4-1 Champions League defeat to Como on Wednesday night was marred by an off-camera confrontation between manager Michael Carrick and forward Matheus Cunha, according to reports.
The Premier League side's loss to the Serie A outfit has plunged the club into turmoil, with captain Bruno Fernandes publicly criticising Carrick's tactics after the match. The 45-year-old former United and England midfielder responded in a press conference following the heavy defeat.
Altercation Reported During Stoppage
Samuel Luckhurst of the Sun posted on X: "Carrick just had a relatively robust exchange of views with Cunha during the stoppage before he cursed at #mufc losing possession again."
Cunha was substituted at half-time, with Amad brought on, while Carlos Baleba also entered the game at the start of the second half in an attempt to turn the match around. Several United fans voiced concern over the reported "altercation" between the Brazilian and his manager.
The changes proved ineffective as United were outplayed across the pitch. Cesc Fabregas' side took the lead within two minutes when Nico Paz curled home a spectacular opener, leaving United immediately on the back foot.
Second-Half Collapse
United were fortunate not to be further behind at the break, but four minutes into the second half Anastasios Douvikas struck, sparking an eight-minute blitz from Como. Paz capitalised on a United mistake to complete his stunning double in the rout.
The loss extends United's winless streak to seven matches, with just two wins in 11 games in all competitions this season. The result compounds a difficult run for Carrick, coming a week after Lisandro Martinez's furious outburst over the lack of squad reinforcements.
Fernandes Questions Tactics
Fernandes, substituted after 67 minutes, voiced his frustrations in a post-match interview, questioning the tactical setup. He said: "It's a decision from the staff to not press man-to-man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball, wait for them, but sometimes when you give space to these teams they get confidence."
He added: "It's not the first time, we started on the wrong foot, and they scored very early. Not much pressure on the ball, not many good movements with the ball, not many things going our way."
"Conceding early makes us go into game with a mood of defeat, it's difficult to get out of that, trying to be brave, to have the ball and make something happen. If we are not able to do that, it is going to be very difficult to get out of this situation."
Carrick Hits Back
Carrick responded to Fernandes and questioned the squad's commitment, with the club facing mounting pressure. He stated: "We might win, we might lose, but the way we went about it tonight, I wouldn't say everyone, but the way we went about it in some ways tonight wasn't acceptable."
He continued: "And I just wanted to let the fans know that I feel for them, for sure. It wasn't just the goals, if I'm totally honest. It was the manner and the way we played at times, in the way we went about it, that was the difficult thing to watch for me."
"We actually half-pressed man-to-man the second half and then conceded a goal from that. And there's a little bit on whatever system you play, whatever tactics you play, if you don't run, and you don't run forward, and you don't run back, you ain't going to win."
The fallout from the defeat follows last week's 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid, with United's campaign threatening to unravel just two months in.
