The Brazilian scored twice in three minutes to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 Champions League victory at Old Trafford. It ended a run of nine matches without a win, and Cunha clearly hopes this is the night everything starts to change.
But there was something else worth hearing from him. Asked about Michael Carrick and the club’s glorious past, the 27-year-old made an interesting point.
United can celebrate everything they achieved under previous generations, but the current players have to build something of their own. And he wasn’t pretending they’re anywhere near those heights just yet.
Cunha wants Manchester United to create their own history
Speaking to TNT Sports Brazil after the match, Cunha was still buzzing from the comeback. He admitted he was struggling to calm down, but was delighted to have played such a big part in the victory.
“It’s genuinely a dream to be here. Well, I’m still pretty fired up from the game!” he laughed.
“I think you always dream of being here, of being part of something really big. And to turn a Champions League game around like that, at a time when we haven’t been doing well, says a lot about the character of our team.”
“It’s something I always talk about with the lads behind the scenes. I tell them that if we have to be part of a difficult period, that’s fine. Because there comes a time when you have to embrace responsibility, as I always say, as a privilege, and stand up during those really difficult moments.”
“So I’m very happy to be part of this, to be winning here again. It’s been a while since we last won, hasn’t it?”
“At a moment like this, I think it shows what Manchester United are. It shows that the players here can still make the difference, even during difficult times. And I’m really happy to be part of that.”
Backing the manager
The conversation then turned to Carrick, his connection with United’s history and the possibility of another managerial change.
“I think it’s a new Manchester United, isn’t it? I think the things from the past have to be celebrated, remembered and used as motivation for what might come in the future.”
“But I think this is a new Manchester United. Like I said, it’s time for the players who are here now to take on the responsibility that other great players had and move the team forward. So I think it’s much more about the present.”
“It’s lovely to have a manager like him, who reminds you just how great those wonderful moments at Manchester United were. But it’s been a while since we’ve experienced them ourselves.”
“It was really nice to come into this season and play in the Champions League, but I think we’re at a club like this to experience moments like today, to win a Champions League, to have a comeback like the one we had today. I think that’s what it’s all about, you know?”
“It’s nice to remember, it’s nice to understand and learn, but we have to be very humble about the fact that we’re going to have a new Manchester United.”
“I really hope we can be even one per cent of what that great Manchester United was, so we can start giving the supporters the happiness they’ve always wanted from us.”
Cunha clearly respects the club’s history, and Carrick’s place in it. Yet he also recognises that those trophies belong to another era.
For the current squad, nights like Tuesday are a chance to start putting their own memories alongside them. There’s still an awful lot of work to do.
“It was my most beautiful day at this stadium”
Cunha’s first goal came in the 83rd minute, so the celebrations were understandably wild. Cunha even took his shirt off, something the TNT Sports interviewer brought up afterwards.
“Yeah, absolutely. I think, honestly, it was my day. I was actually talking about this earlier. And I think it was my most beautiful personal moment at this stadium.”
“I think the game against Arsenal was a really beautiful moment too, when we won there during a difficult period of the season. And I think a game like this can be the moment that changes everything, you know?”
“It can be that game we needed, that emotion the supporters will feel, that atmosphere we’ve always wanted to create here.”
“And, well, we’re ready for it. I think responsibility is a wonderful thing. There are so many other difficult responsibilities in the world, and to have something as wonderful as this makes me happy. I’m happy I was able to deliver.”
There was, of course, one rather unfortunate addition to his evening. Having already been booked, Cunha received a second yellow card in stoppage time for a foul on Roma defender Leonardo Balerdi.
The sending-off will have consequences for his Champions League availability, but it didn’t seem to dampen his enjoyment of the result.
“If not now, when?”
Manchester United had found themselves 2-0 down after just 17 minutes, with Matías Soulé and Donyell Malen putting Roma in control. Bruno Fernandes started the comeback from the penalty spot in the 58th minute. Cunha then took over in the closing stages.
The win moved United to six points in the Champions League league phase, leaving them 17th in the standings.
That is hardly where they want to be, and the nine-match winless run explains why the result felt so important.
Asked whether the comeback could finally change the mood around the club, Cunha had a pretty straightforward response.
“Well, if not now, when?” he laughed.
“It has to happen at some point. I hope it’s now. I’m really happy. And I think my teammates are really happy too. We’ve been working so hard and dealing with so much criticism to get through this period together.”
“And I think today was the day. Everyone came back out with such a great mentality in the second half, and we did what we had to do.”
“So I think we’re ready for this, and I really hope this is the turning point of our season.”
United now have the international break before returning to Premier League and European action. The challenge will be turning one memorable night into something more consistent.
For Cunha, at least, this was the sort of evening he dreamed about when he joined the club. Even if the red card made it a slightly messier ending than he’d have liked.
