The chaos of the tie and the wildness of the emotions were underlined when Cunha was sent off for a second yellow card in the 90th minute. The scoreline at the break greatly flattered United. Roma were well organised in a 3-4-2-1 shape and got in up the right time and time again.
When the clock showed 20 minutes and five seconds — 2005, the year of the Glazer takeover — the Stretford End erupted in a planned move, hurling tennis balls on to the pitch.
The United support sing about having seen it all. Then United caught a break — two, actually — and the mood shifted sharply.
Cunha took the ball with a lovely first touch before flashing a shot in off the inside of the near post.
Carrick’s side had to recover from a deficit that flattered them only in the sense that it was not worse.
United’s defending had been so loose, so generous. Positioning on the opening Roma goal was described as pure folly.
Roma had been clinical before the interval. United had been generous. The second half belonged to a different story.
What happened next was a fightback for the ages. Matheus Cunha was the hero.
Cunha likes to celebrate his goals with a surfing move.