By the time Matheus Cunha flew into the crowd, the night had turned from dark to delightful.

“You have got to be kidding me,” said the commentator as Manchester United produced a stirring comeback for their first win in 10 matches in all competition and keep alive hopes of a Champions League playoff berth. Cunha then embraced Shea Lacey.

It was Lacey’s pass, turning inside and opening his shoulder, that fetched the winning goal in the 3-2 victory at Old Trafford on Tuesday. Lacey’s vision to spot Cunha and play him in instead of running to the byline caught Roma’s defence on the wrong foot.

The weight of the pass was enough to beat Leonardo Balerdi who had earlier missed his kick and let Bruno Fernandes’s pass travel to Cunha for Manchester United’s second goal. For the winning goal, Cunha’s first touch was good, the finishing better.

That Kobbie Mainoo had found Lacey, who was introduced by Michael Carrick in the 74th minute, made it a goal forged in the club’s academy. Mainoo is from Stockport, a stop on the train from Crewe to Manchester Piccadilly, also a place Phil Foden calls home.

That makes Mainoo as Manchester born and bred as they come. Lacey is from Liverpool but a Manchester United fan. One who was also good enough to make the club’s under-18 team when he was 15 and got his Premier League in November 2025.

“Shea is certainly well liked, the boys respect him a lot. He’s desperate to do well, and he was even defending at right-back at the end. It shows what he’s prepared to do,” said Carrick.

This was the 4370th consecutive match that Manchester United had at least one player from the academy in the matchday squad. It is a trend that goes back to October 30, 1937 meaning it has seen the highs of the Busby and Ferguson years and the troughs before and after. Mainoo and Lacey played their part as Manchester United transmogrified from ragged to remarkable to win a game they were trailing 0-2 by the 17th minute.

“One moment can flip the whole place in a different direction in a whole different feeling,” said Carrick. Fernandes’s re-taken penalty could have been that. Lacey’s pass too.

There was Joao Cancelo’s assist with the outside of his right boot that found Raphinha for Barcelona’s third goal and Harry Kane’s vision that fetched Bayern their second but this was a night for the young ones. Mainoo is 21, Lacey, 19. Lenny Yoro is 20 and put in a good shift including a crucial tackle on Rodrigo Mora. Half of Paris St-Germain’s six goals that sunk Villarreal came from players aged 20, 17, and 21.

Lennart Karl was a threat Atletico Madrid could not handle leading to Bayern Munich winning away. And in all the buzz of being a world and European champion, we tend to forget that Lamine Yamal is 19. Yamal’s goal against Aston Villa was his 14th in 37 appearances in the Champions League. No one under 20 has scored that many.

Aston Villa put Boubacar Kamara on the right side to help Ian Maatsen and Emiliano Buendia deal with Yamal. Buendia and Mattsen both ended with bookings. Yamal put Barcelona ahead as Villa floundered trying to play out from the back. “We tried to press very high so that they make mistakes and we have this moment,” said Hansi Flick the Barcelona head coach. Yamal scored beating Pau Torres with two more Barcelona players in the Villa penalty area ready to help.

Villarreal’s attempts to do a Villa led to PSG scoring the fastest four goals in Champions League history. By the 16th minute, white handkerchiefs could be seen at Estadio de la Ceramica. It was 4-0 by then after eight goalless minutes. Desire Doue’s goal was a gift from Peter Gulasci and Senny Myulu did well to get on top of the bounce and kick it down. With PSG 5-0 up, Doue chipped the ball and jumped over a sliding tackle in one smooth motion. Allowed time and space on the right, David Boly completed the rout with a volley. Boly is 17, Myulu 20 and making Doue look like a seasoned campaigner at 21.

In a Bundesliga newsletter last year, there was a video of what Karl can do. The clip showed a strong left foot, cool finishing with the right from close, a corner-kick assist for Kane and backheels that Socrates, the king of such passes, would have appreciated. Tuesday had all of the above. Karl scootered down the middle and let fly as Kane left one for him; there was a back-heel for Josip Stanisic; he dragged a player away so that Kane could take aim and then there was the goal: stealing from Robin le Normand, sliding and chipping over Jan Oblak. Karl turned 18 in February.