Why Man Utd's Champions League Hero Won't be Suspended for Aston Villa Clash After Red Card
Few have had more rollercoaster evenings in Champions League history than Matheus Cunha did against Roma.
The Brazilian was among the Manchester United players who hopelessly toiled in the first half against Gian Piero Gasperini’s side, with an angry Old Trafford faithful making their feelings known at the halftime whistle. Boos rang out at the Theatre of Dreams with the hosts, in the midst of their worst winless run since 1988, 2–0 down and seemingly bereft of any hope.
But this sport is bizarre, and goals, no matter how fortuitously sourced, change games. It was one way traffic after Bruno Fernandes converted a retaken penalty early in the second half, with the Romans collapsing as if it was 476 AD in the face of a suddenly aligned institution.
Man Utd completed their revival late on, with Cunha, responsible for winning the game-altering penalty, coming to the fore. After capitalizing on a Leo Balerdi error to equalize, Cunha gratefully latched onto Shea Lacey’s incisive pass and euphorically crashed home the winner at Devis Vásquez’s near post.
It was a heroic moment to cap a resurgence that may well have saved Michael Carrick’s job, until Saturday, anyway. However, the night ended with Cunha nervously watching by the tunnel—not due to a substitution, but because he’d received a pair of yellow cards amid the mayhem.
He’ll serve a one-match suspension as a result, but not this weekend.
Why Matheus Cunha Isn’t Banned for Man Utd’s Next Match
Man Utd will have Tuesday’s hero available for Aston Villa’s visit on Sunday because red-card suspensions in UEFA competitions do not carry over into the Premier League. They’re separate.
As a result. Cunha will receive his one-match ban later this month, when United take on Sporting CP on Matchday 5 of the league phase, in Lisbon, Portugal on Nov. 25.
The Brazilian received his first caution amid wild celebrations after his winning goal, first taking off his shirt before jumping into the crowd—two yellow-card offenses in their own right. Jesús Gil Manzano, who’d awarded United a penalty at the start of the second half to ignite their revival, had no choice but to further caution Cunha, who committed his lunge on Balerdi in stoppage time.
However, the hosts had no issues seeing their lead out with 10 men. Roma had failed to record a single shot in the second half, and although they briefly sustained a bit of pressure in the dying embers, they couldn’t create a moment that might have led to a dramatic late equalizer.
Cunha will thus be expected to keep his place in Carrick’s starting lineup on Sunday, with the forward potentially being used in a more central position. He dovetailed with Bryan Mbeumo against Roma, and both of his goals came after he occupied a position in the box.
