Certain pundits raised eyebrows when Michael Carrick was confirmed as Manchester United’s caretaker boss until the end of the season. The former United midfielder had done well enough in his previous stint as caretaker at Old Trafford. But he was only in charge for three matches. Since then, he had shown promise as the head coach at Championship club Middlesbrough. Ultimately, though, he got sacked from that role after 136 games, having won less than half of them.
Carrick’s first game in charge of the Red Devils was the early kick-off on Saturday against neighbours and rivals Manchester City. Man United last won the Premier League title in 2012/13, Alex Ferguson’s last campaign in charge. Since then, Man City have won the title seven times, along with a fine haul of other trophies. In other words, this was not the easiest first day at the office for Carrick.
Carrick Surpasses Expectations on Dream Return to Old Trafford
Given United’s lack of success this season, most fans would have been more than happy with a draw against Man City. Both sides had drawn their previous three league matches, and – with the “new manager bounce” – the Red Devils might just about nick a point. Carrick clearly had other ideas. He appeared the picture of calm as he led his men out in front of almost 75,000 fans.
United Get the Better of Early Exchanges
Upon kick-off, the Man United players looked to settle far better than their City counterparts. The home side forced an early corner and almost got the opening goal. Harry Maguire, restored to the starting line-up, hit the bar with a trademark towering header. That was an early warning sign for the City defence.
United’s midfield looked snappy and sharp, a major contrast to the lackadaisical displays so often endured under Ruben Amorim. On several occasions, United players harried their opponents and won possession in threatening areas. Indeed, City keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma had to come to his defenders’ rescue on more than one occasion.
A controversial incident occurred when Diogo Dalot put in an awful challenge on Jeremy Doku. After much deliberation, the ref produced a yellow card. A red card at that stage, with the match goalless, would no doubt have altered the complexion of the game. But the match officials decided a yellow was enough, and United never looked back.
Red Devils Take No Prisoners with High-Energy Counterattacks
City’s defence was uncharacteristically sloppy, and United scythed through them on several occasions. Amad Diallo put the ball into the net after rounding Donnarumma, but it was ruled out for offside. Skipper Bruno Fernandes also had a similar goal ruled out in the first half after a more marginal offside decision (and a very late flag). The home side kept knocking on the door, however, and created several chances to score.
As it was, the Man United fans had to wait until the 65th minute for the opening goal. It was a goal reminiscent of the glory days of the 1990s and 2000s. After a fantastic defensive header from Maguire, United broke quickly and in numbers to overpower City’s defence. The flowing move saw Fernandes play the perfect pass for Bryan Mbeumo to slot home his eighth goal for United (seventh in the Premier League).
The goal appeared to kick the visitors into action, but they were unable to create many clear chances. And before too long, United had doubled their lead. Amad Diallo played a neat ball to the right wing from where Matheus Cunha whipped in a cross. Patrick Dorgu still had work to do, but muscled in front of Rico Lewis and finished brilliantly.
Guardiola’s men huffed and puffed to find a way back into the game, but they had no answers to United’s exceptional performance. United had the ball in the back of the net once more in injury time. Unfortunately for the home fans, the goal was ruled out for offside (again). All in all, this was Manchester United’s most convincing performance for a long time. The result and the style of the victory brought a sense of positivity to Old Trafford. A feeling that has long been absent.
Man United 2-0 Man City – Match Stats
- Possession: Manchester City had most of the possession, 68.2% to United’s 31.8%.
- Shots: United managed 11 shots to City’s total of 7.
- Shots on Target: United were way ahead of City here with 7 shots on target to City’s 1.
- Goalkeeper Saves: City’s Donnarumma made five saves, while United’s Senne Lammens made only one.
- Expected Goals: United had an xG of 2.03, while City had an xG of just 0.45.
- Distance Covered by Players: The sides were almost even on this stat, with United’s players covering 110.97 km to City’s 110.14.
Where Next for Carrick and Man United?
There has been much excitement among United fans after this win over Man City, and the nature of the performance. Some fans and pundits will no doubt suggest that Manchester United are “back” – whatever that means! It’s clearly far too early for that. And it’s also far too early to suggest that Carrick should be handed the head coach’s job permanently. As things stand, he’ll be in charge until the end of the current campaign, but what would he have to do to stick around at Old Trafford after that?
Currently, Man United are in fifth position in the Premier League table on 35 points from 22 games. The Premier League is the club’s only focus as they’re out of both domestic cups, and they didn’t qualify for Europe. So with no distractions, Carrick and his coaching team can concentrate their efforts on finishing as high up the table as possible. And Carrick has assembled an exceptional team of coaches, not least Gareth Southgate’s former assistant with England, Steve Holland. Jonathan Woodgate, who assisted Carrick at Middlesbrough, is also on the team.
If Carrick thought his opening fixture was tough, the next one is even worse: Arsenal away. The Red Devils will certainly gain some encouragement from the Gunners’ recent draws against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool. And indeed from their own fine performance against Man City. Also in United’s favour is that Mikel Arteta’s men travel to Italy in midweek to play Inter Milan in the Champions League, so there will potentially be some fatigue.
What Must Carrick Do to Stay in the Long Term?
After the Arsenal match, Man United have a relatively kind run of fixtures: Fulham at home, Tottenham at home, and West Ham away. After those games, we’ll have a much better idea about whether Carrick has what it takes to lead Manchester United into next season. If he can finish in the top three this term, or even in the top two, there will certainly be a clamour among United fans to give him the job.
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