Manchester United came from two goals down to beat Roma in a dramatic Champions League tie on Tuesday to give manager Michael Carrick a much-needed boost as he fights to save his job. Things were looking bleak at Old Trafford when his side found themselves 2-0 down after just 17 minutes against their Italian visitors, who had not lost in their 10 Serie A games this season. A nine-game winless run had left Carrick's position increasingly precarious and a poor start left United facing another damaging defeat.
But they stormed back in the second half with a show of character and class that had been missing in a troubled campaign where they had previously won just twice in all competitions. Captain Bruno Fernandes started the fightback from the penalty spot before Matheus Cunha struck twice in the space of three memorable minutes to turn the game on its head. What had threatened to be another night to forget became unforgettable for the Old Trafford faithful, while Carrick could breathe a little easier after his side pulled off an unlikely success.
United, though, are hardly the first side to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat on Europe's biggest stage. Here are some of the greatest comebacks in Champions League history. Man Utd produce incredible second-half comeback to beat Roma 'We don't need to save anyone's job,' says Man Utd captain Fernandes Tottenham travelled to Ajax for the second leg of their semi-final trailing 1-0, and things went from bad to worse in Amsterdam when Matthijs de Ligt and Hakim Ziyech put Ajax 3-0 ahead on aggregate before the break.
Spurs needed to score three times without reply to progress on away goals, and were given a glimmer of hope 10 minutes into the second half through Lucas Moura - and it was game on just four minutes later. Moura pounced on a loose ball in the box after Fernando Llorente's shot was saved and he curled home to put the hosts on the ropes. The stunning turnaround was completed in the 95th minute when Moura recorded a hat-trick to seal Tottenham's spot in the final on away goals, leaving Ajax players strewn across the turf in disbelief.
Just 24 hours before Tottenham's heroics in Amsterdam, Liverpool had overturned their own three-goal deficit. The Reds' hopes of forcing their way back into the semi-final after a 3-0 loss to Barcelona at the Nou Camp looked slim, especially with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino unavailable because of injury. But Divock Origi got the ball rolling on seven minutes, before the tie really turned in the space of 166 seconds after half-time when substitute Georginio Wijnaldum scored twice.
A moment of quick thinking saw Liverpool complete the job as Trent Alexander-Arnold spotted Barcelona's defence switch off from a corner, whipping the ball in low for Origi to fire home and spark wild scenes at Anfield. That iconic line from commentator Peter Drury summed up an incredible night as Roma clinched a memorable comeback to send Barcelona packing in the quarter-finals. Own goals from Daniele de Rossi and Kostas Manolas helped Barca record a 4-1 win in the first leg at the Nou Camp.
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