Peter Schmeichel believes Yuri Tielemans sparked Manchester United’s dramatic recovery against Roma, with the midfielder helping turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 victory at Old Trafford.
The Belgium international, who joined Manchester United in the summer, came on shortly after half-time for the injured Carlos Baleba. Schmeichel said Tielemans immediately changed the direction of the match and produced his best performance for the club.
Speaking to CBS Sports, as reported by Metro, Schmeichel said: “It was time for us to do something like this. Manchester United have done this kind of thing time and time again in the past, but it took a long time.”
The former United goalkeeper admitted he had been deeply disappointed by what he saw before the interval.
“In the first half, I felt very sad about what I saw in the opening 45 minutes because the situation was so bad,” he said. “Then Carlos Baleba went off injured at the start of the second half and I thought to myself: it cannot get any worse than this.”
However, he said Tielemans’ introduction proved decisive.
“Yuri Tielemans came on and changed the course of the game,” Schmeichel added. “It was the best performance I have seen him give for Manchester United and I am so pleased for him. He went into midfield, drove the team forward and was a leader. It was great to see.”
Schmeichel believes the win could become an important moment for Michael Carrick’s side.
“For me, this could be a major turning point,” he said. “The players now know what it means to be at Manchester United and to play in these big European nights.”
He added: “Coming back from 2-0 down is what United have done for years. I am so happy for Michael Carrick because he desperately needed this win.”
Kasper Schmeichel praises second-half response
Kasper Schmeichel, Peter’s son and former Leicester City goalkeeper, also highlighted Tielemans’ influence during an interview with BBC 5 Live.
“I said at half-time that if you are going to lose, fight until the end,” he said. “You can accept defeat if you have given everything, and they had not done that in the first half.”
“They did in the second half. Carlos Baleba set the tone for the way they played. It was unfortunate that he was injured, but it acted as a spark. Yuri Tielemans came on and changed the course of the game slightly. There was much more control.”
Schmeichel said United’s players had to respond with maximum effort after falling two goals behind.
“When you play in these matches and go 2-0 down, you have already lost, so you may as well give it everything,” he said. “You may as well run and play.”
He added that this response should become the team’s standard, giving Carrick something to refer back to when United face difficult moments.
United’s comeback leaves them 17th in the Champions League after four matches, while Roma drop to 19th.
Carrick’s side return to action on Sunday against Aston Villa. Roma, who are third in Serie A, host Sassuolo.
