Manchester United vs Roma: 17-minute collapse at Old Trafford

Manchester United were 2-0 down inside 17 minutes against AS Roma, and that alone set a new club record for the earliest time they have trailed by that margin at home in major European competition. Before half-time, United managed only 0.24 Expected Goals to Roma's 1.48, which matched the feel of the match. The first half was short on control, short on chances and short on answers.

United's early collapse

The timing was brutal because it left the home side chasing the game almost immediately. Donyell Malen and Matías Soulé were part of the damage, while Bruno Fernandes and the rest of United's attack were unable to shift the tempo enough to change the pattern. Alan Shearer, speaking to sportsmole.co.uk, called it "absolutely atrocious".

There is also the wider slide around the result. United's winless run is now 10 matches, and the scoreline, whenever the game finally lands, will sit alongside a night that started badly and never really recovered.

The numbers behind the first half

The xG split tells the harsher part of the story. United's 0.24 before the break was nowhere near enough for a side trying to get back into a European knockout tie, and Roma's 1.48 reflected how much cleaner their attacks were in the opening 45 minutes.

Michael Carrick's side were then left to absorb the noise around them as well as the football. Carlos Baleba later went off with a hamstring problem, another setback on a night that already felt heavy for Manchester United at Manchester United vs AS Roma.