Michael Carrick has won both of his first two games in charge of Manchester United following Sunday’s thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Arsenal.
Michael Carrick leads Manchester United to another impressive victory (Image: (James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images))
Midway through an interview following Manchester United’s dramatic win over Arsenal, Michael Carrick was called in to speak to Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Matheus Cunha’s stunning goal in the dying minutes gave United a thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind victory at the Emirates, ending Arsenal’s chances of winning the Premier League title.
The Gunners took the lead just before the half-hour mark when Lisandro Martínez put the ball into his own net, but Brian Mbeumo capitalized on Martin Zvimendi’s amazing backpass to equalize for United before the interval. Patrick Dorg then put the Red Devils ahead and Mikel Merino looked to have snatched a valuable point for Mikel Arteta’s side.
However, with three minutes remaining, Cunha scored a stunner and his team secured all three points. This result means United sit in fourth place in the table and will be in a good position to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Carrick won both of his first two games in charge and former Premier League forward and current broadcaster Jan Agee Fjortoft revealed he had been called to speak to Ratcliffe shortly before interviewing the former England international.
For X, he wrote: “Today I was standing in my position waiting for an interview with Michal Carrick. As I was about to ask my first question, a Manchester United representative stopped my preparations and said: – Michael, Sir Jim would like to meet!
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“So he went outside and we had a chat with him in the tunnel, and we took Carrick outside to a pitchside table where we were able to ask him about his ‘meeting’.
In a subsequent interview with Viaplay, Carrick was asked for insight into the conversation he had with Ratcliffe inside the Emirates Tunnel. “No, I don’t think it’s as much as you would expect,” he replied. “There were a lot of happy bodies around the camp today and he was happy too. So it was great to see him.”
Peter Schmeichel put the United manager on the spot and asked if he had asked if he could come into his office today, to which Carrick laughed and replied:
“Last week was good for a lot of different reasons. This one is pretty special. It was two good games. This is now about what happens next and moving forward.”
Speaking after the win in the capital, Carrick said: “As much as we tried to turn the tide in our favor, we knew this was how the game was going to start.
“I think we understood how the game was going to go and how it was going to go. I think that was the moment where we started to connect with the ball through the pitch and had that composure and got a little bit of confidence as well.”
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Matheus Cunha scored the winning goal in the 87th minute in the match between Manchester United and Arsenal. (Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
“We were playing well and looked like we were in the game when they scored, which was disappointing.Again, we showed the humanity to come back and there were stages in the game that we had to defend.
“They really have to defend in the box and it can be difficult at times, but I thought there was enough strength in the game to keep believing in confidence and always wanting to score.”
Talk has turned to whether Carrick should be considered for a permanent role following his impressive start, but Roy Keane, who has previously clashed with the United manager’s wife, is adamantly opposed to the idea.
Asked for his opinion, Keane told Sky Sports: “Work? No, I’m doing stupid things at the moment.” “Are you serious? He had two great performances, but anyone can win two games. That’s what he does at the end of the season.”
“Even if they finish fourth, I’m still not convinced he’s the right man for the job. Absolutely not. I still think they need a bigger, better manager, but he has an opportunity. What an opportunity for him. And, you know, he took it. So, fair play to him.”
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