Como Rout Deepens Manchester United’s Crisis

France 24 reports that Manchester United suffered a 4-1 defeat away to Como 1907 in the third matchday of the UEFA Champions League league phase on October 21, 2026. A double from Nico Paz helped the Italian side secure the emphatic victory at Como’s Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia. The result extended the winless run of Michael Carrick’s Manchester United team to seven matches in all competitions. The article’s headline characterizes the defeat as a rout, and its cover caption describes United players reacting as Como celebrated their fourth goal. The report also summarizes other sporting events from the evening. Real Madrid beat Leipzig 4-1, with late goals from Kylian Mbappé and Yan Diomandé sealing the result. French clubs Lille and Lens both suffered heavy defeats, making it a difficult night for French sides in the Champions League. Beyond football, the article notes that Belgian tennis veteran David Goffin postponed his retirement by another day after winning a first-round match at his farewell tournament in Brussels. It also reports that the New Orleans Saints were training in Versailles ahead of their upcoming NFL Paris Game clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers, which was only days away at the time of publication. The page presents this material as a brief sports roundup, rather than a detailed match report: it gives the main result, a key scorer, the effect on Manchester United’s recent form, and a selection of other sports headlines. It does not provide further match statistics or explanations for the teams’ performances.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes publicly questioned Michael Carrick’s tactics after United suffered a 4-1 Champions League defeat to Como, extending the club’s winless run to seven games. Fernandes argued that the team’s approach—choosing not to press opponents man-to-man and allowing them space—gave Como confidence. He said United sometimes needed to take more risks by pressing higher. Asked whether Carrick had got the tactics wrong, Fernandes said that was for the manager and staff to assess. Carrick responded that no system could succeed if players failed to run both forward and back. The defeat and the exchange have intensified scrutiny of Carrick’s position. After the match, he apologised to the 700 travelling supporters and did not acknowledge his players, a scene likened to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s response after a 4-1 loss to Watford in 2021, shortly before Solskjaer was dismissed. Fernandes’s criticism follows recent comments by Lisandro Martinez, who attacked the club’s board over a lack of squad investment. The article also reports other Champions League results. Arsenal drew 2-2 away to Bayern Munich after Declan Rice scored a late equaliser. Bukayo Saka went off injured early, Eberechi Eze scored Arsenal’s opener, and Bayern took the lead through Harry Kane’s penalty before Rice levelled. Real Madrid beat Leipzig 4-1, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois making important saves before Real established control. Bernardo Silva, Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe and substitute Yan Diomande scored for Real; Tidiam Gomis scored Leipzig’s goal. The roundup also records wins for Galatasaray, Inter Milan, Aston Villa and Real Betis, while LASK secured a 3-2 victory over Sporting in Lisbon.

Como produced a historic Champions League performance against Manchester United on October 21, overwhelming the visitors in a result the article reports as a 4-1 victory. Cesc Fabregas’s side dominated throughout, with Nico Paz scoring twice and assisting another goal. Tasos Douvikas and Jacobo Ramon also scored for Como, while substitute Joshua Zirkzee supplied a late consolation for United. The article’s headline and opening account give the score as 4-1, although a subheading and some match details describe Como’s win as 4-0 before mentioning Zirkzee’s late goal. The result was Como’s biggest in club history and particularly notable because the club is competing in the Champions League for the first time. Paz was named man of the match after opening the scoring in the second minute, setting up Douvikas, and exploiting a Carlos Baleba error to make it 3-0. Ramon headed in the fourth. Como’s other players received strong ratings for their defensive work, energy and control of midfield. For Manchester United, the defeat intensified pressure on manager Michael Carrick. The article says United had gone seven matches without a win, their worst run since 2015, and had not won in any competition since beating Sabah FK on September 10. Captain Bruno Fernandes said the team began poorly, conceded early, and struggled to create pressure or build promising attacks. He also discussed the coaching staff’s decision not to press man-to-man. The supplied article begins United’s player ratings with goalkeeper Senne Lammens, but cuts off partway through his assessment. Fabregas, meanwhile, called the evening special while cautioning that Como needed to stay grounded with another match approaching.