NATHAN SALT ranks Man United’s WORST European defeats – after dreadful Como performance sparked latest civil war and left manager Michael Carrick apologising to supporters

DAILYMAIL.COM • 1h ago

By NATHAN SALT – FOOTBALL REPORTER 02:00 22 Oct 2026, updated 02:00 22 Oct 2026

Man United were taught a lesson in the rain in Como, delivering a performance that was every bit the men against boys criticism that will fly their way in wake of their 4-1 defeat.

The most damning aspect for United is that this isn’t a one off. Not a one off this season and not a one off in Europe over the years.

Sir Matt Busby, Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ruben Amorim and many more have been shown up in Europe and now Michael Carrick has added himself to the list of infamous defeats.

Como was among the very worst defeats in United’s European history. Abject, devoid of any creativity, and a performance that was miles below the acceptable levels for a Manchester United player.

Daily Mail Sport’s NATHAN SALT picks out six of the most damning defeats in Europe…

I was sitting next to Taylor Swift when she 'snapped' at a fan37K viewing now Man United were completely outplayed by Como and were humbled 4-1 by the Italian side United were awful and it was one of the worst European defeats in their illustrious history Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Manchester United (May 21, 2025)Truly terrible. It was a god-awful season under Ruben Amorim and the Europa League final was the final chance to paper over an enormous crack.

They couldn’t in a final performance that was an insult to those who made the arduous trip to Bilbao.

Struggling to think of a single result that triggered as much disappointment and anger in recent seasons than the Bilbao horror show.

There was some effort but it ended with a disastrous lack of quality, individual errors, abysmal weather to boot, and the aftermath saw captain Bruno Fernandes openly call out his manager’s tactics.

One of the all-time disaster classes for United.

Manchester United were already in crisis by the time they headed to France and Ferguson’s charges left in the absolute depths of it after a shock defeat.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Co had just been hammered by Middlesbrough and then put in this sluggish performance that had fans claiming on national radio that United were ‘no longer a high class team’.

George Best, Denis Law and Sir Bobby Charlton… and yet Sir Matt Busby’s side were taught a serious footballing lesson.

They went to Lisbon leading 4-1 lead in this Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final and somehow blew it in epic circumstances.

Ever heard of Videoton? Not many had, especially not when Manchester United lined up against the Hungarians in 1985.

Ron Atkinson’s side were heavy favourites and yet somehow got humiliated in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals by Videoton.

Real Madrid made the final but United were still reeling from this hall of shame loss.

A match that produced arguably the most embarrassing individual moment in the club’s European history.

Demba Ba ran from the halfway line after United botched defending from their own attacking corner and the defending for the second was hardly much better.

This was the start of one of a series of inquests that haunt this club. Really, really bad.

NATHAN SALT: Man United’s WORST European defeats rankedComments are subject to our House rules and TermsNewest{{#isModerationStatus}}{{moderationStatus}}

No one seems to have shared their thoughts on this topic yetLeave a comment so your voice will be heard first.

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{#replies.comments}}{{^isLast}}{{initials}}{{userAlias}}, United Kingdom, {{formattedDateAndTime}}{{message}}

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{/isLast}}{{#isLast}}{{initials}}{{userAlias}}, United Kingdom, {{formattedDateAndTime}}{{message}}

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{/isLast}}{{/replies.comments}}{{/replies.totalCount}}{{^replies.totalCount}}{{initials}}{{userAlias}}, United Kingdom, {{formattedDateAndTime}}{{message}}

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{/replies.totalCount}}{{/isComment}}The opinions and views expressed in the comments section are solely those of the individual users and do not represent or reflect the opinions, views, or positions of MailOnline. MailOnline does not endorse, support, or verify the accuracy of any user-generated content.Terms|Privacy|FeedbackOldest{{#isModerationStatus}}{{moderationStatus}}