Why Bruno Fernandes was allowed to retake the penalty that sparked Manchester United's dramatic UEFA Champions League comeback against Roma

Manchester United produced a stunning comeback from 2-0 down to snatch a dramatic 3-2 UEFA Champions League victory over Roma, easing the pressure on under-fire Michael Carrick. Everything was going wrong for Carrick in the game's first 50 minutes.

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Roma were two goals up, courtesy of Matias Soule's opener and a Donyell Malen spot-kick, while £70m summer signing Carlos Baleba was forced off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury.

To make matters worse, fans had thrown green and gold tennis balls onto the pitch in protest against the club's ownership.

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, United came back to win.

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The revival was sparked by a retaken Bruno Fernandes penalty, with the United skipper seeing his initial effort saved before smashing home his second attempt to breathe life into the contest.

Why was Bruno Fernandes allowed to retake his Roma penalty?

Fernandes’ first penalty attempt, which was palmed away by Devis Vasquez, was ordered to be retaken following a VAR intervention - a decision that changed the trajectory of the night.

VAR official Carlos del Cerro Grande advised a retake after deeming that Roma’s Bryan Cristante had his foot on the penalty area boundary as Fernandes took his initial spot-kick.

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Under IFAB Law 14, encroachment during a penalty kick occurs when a player enters the penalty area, penalty arc or steps on the boundary line before the ball is kicked.

Crucially, it is only penalised if the player has a material impact on the outcome of the kick.

While Cristante didn’t appear to influence Fernandes’ initial miss, he charged into the box after the penalty had been saved to clear the loose ball out of play, denying Fernandes the chance to tap in the rebound.

Fernandes was therefore allowed to retake the spot-kick, keeping his nerve to drive home his second attempt, before Matheus Cunha’s brace in the final seven minutes sealed an improbable comeback.

"I didn't chuckle, I didn't smile, I wasn't happy about it," Carrick said, when asked how he felt in the wake of Fernandes’ initial miss. "But it felt almost like 'there's another moment'.

"But at the same time, I was quite calm because I had a feeling the boys were in a place leaving the changing room that they felt something could happen.

"I have to say, for Bruno to double take that penalty - to have the mentality and finish like that - he deserves a lot of credit."

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