How Matheus Cunha’s ‘prime’ feature from Wolves form emerged vs Roma

Matheus Cunha rightfully stole the show after he came to Manchester United’s rescue in the Champions League clash against Roma at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old Brazilian forward started out in his preferred left winger role and added attacking support for lone forward Bryan Mbeumo in the thrilling match.

Just as Bruno Fernandes’ spot-kick effort handed Manchester United a lifeline against Roma in the second half, Matheus Cunha turned things up a notch.

Cunha netted a stunning — and incredibly impactful — brace in the space of three minutes before he was sent off in United’s sensational 3-2 comeback win over Roma.

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The ‘maverick’ of Wolves finally turned up with Matheus Cunha’s Man Utd performance against Roma

Matheus Cunha sent a powerful reminder that the ‘maverick’ that he once was at Wolves is still well and truly there. The Brazil international’s final season at the Molineux was exactly why Ineos triggered his £62.5m release clause in 2025 and brought him to Manchester United in the first place.

In the space of seven minutes, four key events showed why Cunha is an exciting and entertaining player to watch. The former Wolves ace scored the important equaliser in the 83rd minute before he returned in the 86th minute to complete his brace for United. In the 87th minute, Cunha was booked by referee Jesus Gil Manzano for taking his shirt off while celebrating.

The Brazil forward summed up his ‘maverick’ performance by receiving a second yellow card in the 90th minute for a late challenge and was sent marching down the Old Trafford tunnel on Tuesday evening. It was everything that made Cunha stand out at Wolves: the individual brilliance, the aggression, conjuring magic out of nothing and his complete unpredictability.

When a player like Lisandro Martinez was sent off in United’s 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last weekend, Red Devils supporters were right to be annoyed. Lisandro Martinez’s red card prevented United from mounting an effective comeback against Chelsea in their Premier League match. But when Cunha was sent off, United fans’ reaction was more subdued.

United still had minutes left on the clock at Old Trafford to see off Roma and seal all three Champions League points in their clash. However, Red Devils supporters could not be annoyed at a maverick doing what was expected of him in that moment. Cunha’s red card was not costly: it was the icing on the cake for his performance. It summed up his match-winning personality, which comes with both pros and cons.

As per StatMuse, Matheus Cunha’s Man Utd stats in the Champions League clash against Roma before his red card:

• Goals: 2
• Big chance created: 1
• Big chances created: 2
• Shots on target: 3
• Shots: 4
• Successful take-ons: 4
• Touches in the opposition box: 9

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The former Atletico Madrid and RB Leipzig player can turn the momentum with the snap of his fingers when he is playing at his best. Cunha showed as much back in September after he scored United’s late equaliser against Fulham in the 1-1 Premier League draw at Craven Cottage.

However, Cunha can equally lose discipline by getting booked or become overemotional by getting into confrontations or incidents with rival players. Both the pros and cons make Cunha the player that he is on the pitch. More importantly, however, it shows that he is more than a conventional goalscorer.

Just as he did at Wolves, Cunha needed to tap into his own intuition and ended up grabbing a match by the scruff of the neck to take his former side to the win. The Brazil attacker did the exact same against Roma in two moments of sheer brilliance before his unpredictability came with his sending-off.

According to Opta Analyst, Cunha is the Man Utd player who has been involved in more goalscoring efforts than any other in the 2026-27 campaign. The 2025 Man Utd summer signing has netted four times and registered four assists in his 14 appearances this season.

United had seven shots in total against Roma and four were on target by the full-time whistle. And the shades of Cunha’s maverick mentality from his prime Wolves days showed how impactful he was in United’s total shooting efforts in the 3-2 Champions League win.