The Theatre of Dreams has become a house of horrors. Manchester United slumped to a humiliating 4-1 defeat against Cesc Fabregas’ Como in the Champions League on Wednesday night, extending their winless run to seven matches and cranking up the pressure on manager Michael Carrick.

Also read: Carrick Responds To Bruno’s Critique After UCL Humiliation

Nico Paz was the architect of United’s misery, scoring twice and assisting another as Como cruised to their second Champions League victory of the campaign. For the Red Devils, forced to field Matthijs de Ligt for his first start of the season due to injuries to Lisandro Martínez, Luke Shaw and Lenny Yoro, it was another night to forget in what’s becoming a season from hell.

The stats don’t lie. Seven matches without a win. United’s longest winless streak since 2015, when they endured eight games without tasting victory under Louis van Gaal.

Paz punishes early

United were carved open inside three minutes, and it set the tone for everything that followed. Nico Paz, the Argentine playmaker who’s been turning heads across Europe, found space on the edge of the area and curled a sublime effort into the top corner. It was his first Champions League goal, and he couldn’t have picked a better stage or victim.

Old Trafford fell silent. Como’s travelling support erupted. And United looked shell-shocked, unable to process how easily they’d been opened up.

Harry Maguire nearly responded immediately, getting on the end of a Bruno Fernandes corner with a telling header toward the near post. But his effort drifted wide, and the chance was gone. It was a brief glimpse of hope in what would become an evening of relentless disappointment.

Como threaten before the break

The home side’s defensive frailties were on full display throughout the first half. Como grew in confidence with every passing minute, playing with the kind of freedom and fluidity that United could only dream about.

Anastasios Douvikas came agonisingly close to doubling the lead just before halftime, latching onto a clever long pass and fashioning a shot at the back post. Only a sharp parry from goalkeeper Senne Lammens, one of the few United players to emerge with any credit, kept the deficit at one.

United trudged off at the interval having offered virtually nothing. No cutting edge. No creativity. No intensity. Just passengers watching Como play the kind of football they used to produce themselves.

Changes make no difference

Michael Carrick rang the changes at halftime, throwing on Amad Diallo for Matheus Cunha and introducing Carlos Baleba to replace Andrey Santos in midfield. Fresh legs, fresh ideas, a chance to reset.

It made absolutely no difference.

Also read: Carrick tasked with Champions League push at United

Two minutes into the second half, Como doubled their advantage. Paz – who else? – sliced through United’s midfield like it wasn’t there, threading a perfectly weighted pass into Douvikas’ path. The Greek striker didn’t break stride, controlling with his first touch and finishing with his second. Composed. Clinical. Everything United weren’t.

Then Paz struck again, this time winning possession off Baleba on the far side before running clean through with no defender in sight. From a tight angle, he curled into the far corner to complete his brace. It was sublime individual skill, but also damning evidence of United’s complete inability to compete physically or tactically.

Old Trafford was booing now. The discontent wasn’t just audible, it was deafening.

The humiliation complete

Como weren’t done. Why would they be? United had offered nothing to suggest they could stem the bleeding, so the visitors kept attacking.

Towards the final ten minutes, more slick passing carved United open yet again. Kaiki Bruno picked out Jacobo Ramon, who powered a header into the bottom corner to make it 4-0. Four goals conceded at home in a Champions League match. Four goals that exposed every single flaw in Carrick’s setup, his tactics, his team selection.

There was a consolation in stoppage time – Joshua Zirkzee, on as a substitute, beat the offside trap to latch onto a ball over the top and finish neatly. But it was meaningless, a scrap of dignity in a performance utterly devoid of it.

The final whistle blew. Como had secured their second Champions League victory of the campaign. United had extended their winless run to seven matches. And the knives were out for Carrick.

The winless streak

Seven matches without a win across all competitions. According to Opta Joe, it’s United’s longest winless run since 2015, when Van Gaal’s side went eight games without securing victory. That era is remembered as one of the club’s lowest points in recent memory.

This feels worse.

At least Van Gaal had the excuse of a transitional period, a squad overhaul, players adapting to new systems. Carrick inherited a squad that should be competing for trophies, not capitulating at home to Champions League debutants.

The 2026/27 season was supposed to mark a fresh start. Instead, it’s become a nightmare. League form is patchy at best, catastrophic at worst. European results have been disastrous. And the performances? Utterly devoid of the intensity, quality and fight that Manchester United teams are supposed to embody.

Questions about Carrick’s future

The whispers are getting louder. How much longer can United persist with Carrick when results like this keep coming? When the team looks so utterly devoid of ideas, so lacking in basic defensive organisation, so incapable of competing with sides they should be battering?

Carrick was appointed with fanfare, a club legend returning to restore the glory days. But legends don’t get unlimited credit when the results are this poor. The board will be having conversations. Supporters are losing patience. And performances like Wednesday night’s make the manager’s position increasingly untenable.

The injury crisis doesn’t help – losing Martínez, Shaw and Yoro forced De Ligt into his first start of the season, disrupting defensive cohesion. But injuries are part of football. Great managers find ways to cope. Great teams dig deep and grind out results even when depleted.

United did neither. They folded like a cheap tent, blown away by a Como side playing with confidence, creativity and clinical finishing. Fabregas has built something special at the Serie A club, and they made United look utterly ordinary.