Cesc Fabregas Calls for Composure After Como's Stunning 4-1 Victory Over Manchester United in Champions League
Cesc Fabregas, head coach of Como, encouraged his players to maintain humility following their impressive 4-1 Champions League victory against Manchester United on Wednesday night. The Spanish manager oversaw a dominant performance from his side at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, putting significant pressure on United’s manager Michael Carrick.
A Historic Night for Como
Fabregas cautioned against overconfidence after Como’s commanding win over the Red Devils. Alongside a previous 4-1 triumph over RB Leipzig in Matchday 1, Como became the first Italian club to score four or more goals in each of their first two home games in a debut UEFA season. They also matched AC Milan as only the second Italian team to beat English giants by three or more goals in European competition.
How the Match Unfolded
The game started dramatically when Diogo Dalot missed an early chance within the first 90 seconds. Just moments later, Nico Paz took advantage, cutting inside onto his left foot and curling a shot past goalkeeper Senne Lammens. At 22 years and 43 days old, Paz became the second-youngest South American to score against Manchester United in the Champions League, trailing only Lionel Messi, who did so in the 2009 final.
United's Carrick reacted at halftime by substituting £110 million signings Matheus Cunha and Andrey Santos for Carlos Baleba and Amad Diallo. But Como continued to dominate, with Paz assisting Tasos Douvikas’s goal after a defensive error by Matthijs de Ligt, who was making his first start in nearly a year. Paz then intercepted a pass from Baleba to score a third goal in the 57th minute.
“I’m very happy. I think it’s a historic night for the club, and we’re very happy,” Fabregas said after the match. “The boys competed really well and played well, so we need to keep going and keep pushing.”
He added that the team's pre-match focus was on bravery and playing without fear. “The boys showed great quality and character today. We always talk about character, but today the boys also played with a lot of quality.”
Keeping Expectations in Check
Later in the match, home goalkeeper Jean Butez made a key save to deny Diallo, and substitute Kaiki Bruno delivered a cross for Jacobo Ramon to head in the fourth goal in the 76th minute. Lammens stopped Paz from completing a hat-trick. United pulled one back late when Joshua Zirkzee converted Diallo’s cross during stoppage time, but it was only a consolation.
Fabregas downplayed ideas that European powerhouses might fear facing Como now. “I wouldn’t say that other European teams are afraid of Como. We respect all clubs a lot. We’re new to this competition, so we need to keep our feet on the ground, keep working, keep pedaling, and then see where the future takes us.”
Manchester United Faces Mounting Pressure
Missing nine injured players during the trip to Italy, Manchester United extended their winless run to seven matches. Their encouraging draw at rivals Leeds United on Sunday quickly faded. After full-time, Carrick repeatedly gestured apologies to the traveling supporters, reminiscent of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s response after a 4-1 loss at Watford in November 2021, which led to his sacking a day later.
