Michael Carrick believes Manchester United's dramatic 3-2 comeback win against Roma will only mean something if they can back it up.
Man United's Roma comeback only matters if we back it up, says Carrick
Manchester United did it the hard away in the Champions League against Roma, but Michael Carrick says his side must now back it up.
The Red Devils were staring down the barrel of a fourth straight defeat as Matias Soule's 11th-minute opener and Donyell Malen's penalty had Gian Piero Gasperini's men 2-0 up at Old Trafford in Tuesday's Champions League encounter.
But Bruno Fernandes' spot-kick just before the hour had United back in the game, before Matheus Cunha scored twice in the 83rd and 86th minutes to complete a memorable fightback.
Not even a late red card for Cunha could take the gloss off as United stopped a nine-match winless run in all competitions.
The pressure has been seriously building on Carrick during that dismal run, but he was reluctant to view this win as a turning point just yet.
Speaking to Amazon Prime, Carrick – whose side host Aston Villa in the Premier League this weekend – said: "It's one game so it depends on what happens next. We've got to capitalise on that, but the boys showed an awful lot in the second half.
"This was right at that moment. It depends on what happens next. We've got to make the most of it, we've got to move forward, but I'm feeling a lot better about things.
"It's a win for us as a football club. To see the supporters go home happy is what we live for, to give them performances and nights like this so they can get back energised again.
"As a team, we've shown a lot of character to weather what we've had to. You find out a lot about each other. The players will find out things about me, I certainly do about them and their character, what it means to them and what they're prepared to put in."
Ten of United's 15 shots came in the second half, with 2.5 of their 2.7 total expected goals (xG) generated coming after the interval.
The Red Devils have won both of the last two Champions League home matches in which they have trailed by two-plus goals, also beating Atalanta 3-2 in October 2021, who were also managed by Gasperini.
Indeed, no team have won more Champions League games from two or more goals behind than United, with this their fourth time doing so (Real Madrid also four).
Carrick added: "It was a good game. I have to give a lot of credit to the players for starters, showing that character and quality when we needed it.
"This place does incredible things, magical things, and we spoke about it at half-time. I thought we grew into it a little bit in the first half after giving away the goals too easily.
"We spoke at half-time about how this place can change. It only takes one moment. The boys made every little bit of every little opportunity really and were fantastic in the end."
