Manchester United‘s struggles to begin the 2026/27 season continued unabated in Italy as the Red Devils remained mired in the dredges in European play.
With Michael Carrick already under pressure for their sputtering form in Premier League play, Man United got their European journey off to a strong start by beating Azerbaijani minnows Sabah in their first Champions League fixture of the season.
It has all quickly gone downhill from there, however, as fixtures on the road at Atletico Madrid and Como have seen United in real peril early in league phase play.
In fact, those two defeats have seen United set a European record nobody wants to have on their resume.
Man United set dubious record in consecutive Champions League defeats
Against Atletico Madrid and Como, Man United became the first team in UEFA history to concede in the first two minutes of back-to-back major European matches.
According to TNT Sports, their goals conceded in the first minute against Atletico Madrid last week and the second minute against Como on Wednesday was a first in Champions League action.
First, it was Pablo Barrios who found the back of the net for Atletico Madrid less than 60 seconds into their 2-0 victory at the Metropolitano on October 13, and then Como star Nico Paz struck in the second minute of their match on the lake in Italy, the first of two goals in the game for Paz as Como would eventually move to a 3-0 advantage before the hour mark.
Is this the end for Michael Carrick at Man United?
After leading United to a third-placed finish in the Premier League last season on the interim tag, Michael Carrick seemed like the right choice to be named permanent manager this summer.
Yet it’s all gone wrong for Carrick from the beginning of the 2026/27 season. They have just two wins across all competitions, sitting 13th in the Premier League and out of the EFL Cup in the early phases.
A result this bad, having fallen down 3-0 to Como, could certainly spell the end for Carrick, who’s been under pressure for a few weeks now and could see the executioner’s axe drop after a negative result of this magnitude.
