Como 4-1 Man Utd: Carrick Under Fire as Nico Paz Runs Riot

Wednesday night in the UEFA Champions League produced one of the most shocking results of the season. Cesc Fabregas' Como dismantled Manchester United 4-1 at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, a defeat that extended the English club's winless run to seven matches and left manager Michael Carrick facing the most serious questions of his reign. Elsewhere on a dramatic matchday 3, Bayern Munich and Arsenal shared four goals in a 2-2 thriller at the Allianz Arena, Real Madrid kept up their perfect start with a 4-1 win over RB Leipzig, and Aston Villa made it three wins from three.

Nico Paz Runs Riot as Como Stun United

Como needed just two minutes to take the lead. Nico Paz, the 22-year-old Argentine playmaker, collected the ball outside the penalty area, shifted it onto his left foot and curled a superb finish beyond goalkeeper Senne Lammens. The early goal set the tone for a punishing evening for the visitors, who struggled to live with the pace and technical quality of the home side.

United reached half-time trailing 1-0, and Carrick reacted with changes at the break, sending on Amad Diallo and Carlos Baleba. But within four minutes of the restart, the game slipped away. Paz turned provider in the 49th minute, threading a perfectly weighted pass through the United defence for Anastasios Douvikas, who lifted the ball past Lammens to make it 2-0.

Eight minutes later, Paz struck again. After Baleba lost possession, the Argentine drove at the heart of the United defence and finished calmly to complete his brace in the 57th minute. Substitute Kaiki swung in a cross in the 76th minute and centre-back Jacobo Ramon headed home for 4-0, before Joshua Zirkzee pulled back a stoppage-time consolation from Amad's cross.

The numbers told a harsh story: Como put eight of their 11 shots on target to United's four from 13, and held 55 per cent of possession. United became the first English team ever to concede in the opening two minutes of two consecutive major European matches, having gone behind inside the first minute in a 2-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid the previous week.

"Unacceptable" — Carrick's Future Under Scrutiny

An angry Carrick made no attempt to sugar-coat the performance afterwards. "For us to play in that way, it's not acceptable," he said. "It wasn't a good performance at all. We wanted to build on what we brought to Leeds and the performance that we had at Leeds. That bit of intensity, that spirit, that aggression, that real willingness to give everything, and tonight was the total opposite of a performance, I have to say. It was tough to watch."

"I'm bitterly disappointed, I'm frustrated; more than frustrated, I'm really angry," he added. "But you've got to move on. You've got to deal with what's next and see what that looks like."

At the final whistle, Carrick walked across the pitch past his beaten players and held his hands up in apology to the roughly 200 travelling supporters who had remained from the 700 who made the trip to northern Italy. He insisted the gesture carried no extra significance about his future: "I always go over to the fans regardless. I have not given my own position any thought."

The context makes the pressure real. United have won just twice in 11 competitive matches this season, sit 13th in the Premier League, and have already been knocked out of the League Cup. That is a sharp fall for a manager who guided the club to 12 wins in 17 matches last season and led them back to the Champions League after a two-year absence before being handed a two-year contract. His next chance to stop the rot comes on Sunday, when United host Bournemouth at Old Trafford.

Bayern 2-2 Arsenal: Rice Rescues a Thriller

The other headline tie of the night produced a classic. Bayern Munich and Arsenal shared a 2-2 draw at the Allianz Arena after a breathless 90 minutes in which both sides led and neither quite deserved to lose.

Arsenal suffered an early blow when Bukayo Saka was forced off through injury, but his replacement Eberechi Eze broke the deadlock in the 25th minute, latching onto Martin Odegaard's wonderful pass to slot under Manuel Neuer. The lead lasted just ten minutes: Harry Kane produced a lovely through ball for Alphonso Davies, who finished coolly past David Raya to make it 1-1.

Bayern turned the game around just after the hour. Jurrien Timber handled Kane's shot in the box, and the England captain stepped up to convert the penalty — his 58th Champions League goal — to put the hosts 2-1 ahead. But Arsenal refused to fold. With eight minutes left, a slick passing move involving Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres released Declan Rice, who raced into the box and fired a clinical finish beyond Neuer to salvage a point.

Afterwards, Kane was gracious despite being denied the win. "A draw is probably a fair result," he told TNT Sports. "We are playing against a really strong team... We take the point and move on." The result also meant Arsenal avoided a first defeat in 14 league phase or group stage games.

Bayern's preparations had been clouded by absences: Joshua Kimmich was granted compassionate leave following a family bereavement, Michael Olise was suspended after his sending-off last week, and Jamal Musiala remains out with a thigh injury. Having beaten Bodo/Glimt 5-0 and drawn 3-3 at Viking, Bayern are now unbeaten in three league phase matches but have dropped points in two straight games.

Madrid March On; Villa Perfect

Real Madrid continued their flawless start to the competition with a 4-1 victory over RB Leipzig. Bernardo Silva, who joined from Manchester City in the summer, scored his first goal for the Spanish giants, with Arda Guler, Kylian Mbappe and Yan Diomande also on the scoresheet. Three wins from three keeps Madrid among the early pace-setters.

Aston Villa also made it three wins from three. Unai Emery's side beat Norwegian outfit Viking 3-1 at Villa Park: Ross Barkley opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, Emiliano Buendia converted a penalty in the 37th after Alysson was fouled, and Viking defender Henrik Heggheim turned a cross into his own net in the 62nd minute.

There was drama elsewhere too. Austrian side LASK pulled off the shock of the night's earlier kick-offs, winning 3-2 away at Sporting CP, while Galatasaray recorded an impressive 4-2 victory away at Lille. PSG continue to lead the 36-team league phase table with nine points from three matches.

What Comes Next

Matchday 3 has left the league phase table taking shape, but the story of the week belongs to Como. Fabregas' side produced one of the great European nights in their history, and Nico Paz — two goals and an assist against one of the game's biggest clubs — announced himself on the grandest stage.

For Manchester United and Carrick, the stakes are now brutally simple. Seven games without a win, a European embarrassment, and a home match against Bournemouth on Sunday that suddenly feels like a defining afternoon for a manager who has spent his entire career inside the club. The question, as he put it, is what comes next.

Sources: Sportradar, The Analyst, Bundesliga.com, Sky Sports, TNT Sports, Geo Super, France 24, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, BBC Sport. Images: AI-generated originals for Cric Sports Daily.