Man Utd 2-0 Man City: How Michael Carrick’s side outplayed their rivals

In building his second debut as Manchester United Head coach Michael Carrick has described Old Trafford as a “magical place”.

Few would have thought he would play against Manchester City, so Pep Guardiola admitted his side could have been beaten even if Diogo Dalot had been sent off in the opening minutes.

Carrick has now added Guardiola’s name to a list of managers he has beaten as United manager, including Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta. He also played against Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea team.

When he left the field to the tune that United fans were created for when he first arrived as a player in 2006, Carrick was able to remember a day that could not have been better.

“It’s a good start, there’s no getting away from that,” he said with a smile.

Carrick is no Ruben Amorim, clearly. It’s not just his way of delivering headline-grabbing soundbites. He does not explain in the same way as the Portuguese or pepper his dealings with the media with a laugh. He’s also been around long enough to not get too carried away with the result of one high-profile game.

“Consistency is the key to any success,” he said. “If you can find out you are a winner.

“We will not have games with the emotion and feeling that was brought today. We all understand that.

“But there are standards and expectations that we must live by. That is our challenge.”

Carrick and his family still have season tickets at United even though it has been more than ten years since he played for the club.

This season he appeared as an expert on television analyzing the games of his old team.

He didn’t know if Amorim would be sacked, or if he would sack his old boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and be given the chance to manage United until the end of the season, but he had an idea in the back of his mind about how to get the best out of United’s players.

It did not include Amorim’s back three. It involved Kobbie Mainoo, the most obvious victim of Amorim’s hard-line approach, which United’s management ultimately felt was not helping the club reach a consensus.

“I watched a lot,” said Carrick. “We have season tickets, so my family comes and I’ve been to a lot of games lately. You get to know the players and your eye.

“Everybody has an opinion and there’s a tendency. It’s obviously something that clicks into gear when you think that maybe I could be the one to do something about it.”

The prize came from the industry of Mainoo and the veteran Brazilian Casemiro, of the two midfielders Amorim did not give the impression he hoped for.

“Kobbie was good with Casa,” said Carrick. “Between the two of them gave us a foundation.”

Then there was the performance of Harry Maguire, making his first start on 8 November, helping fellow central defender Lisandro Martinez control Erling Haaland such that Manchester City’s xG of 0.45 was the second lowest in 364 Premier League games under Guardiola.

“It was a big ask of H and credit to him,” Carrick said.

“We could take it for granted at times, what players do. He’s trained literally two or three days in the last eight or nine weeks, so it was a very competitive game as to how long he could play.

“But he got through it and he was great.”

Carrick was even praised by former skippers Gary Neville and Roy Keane, who have led suspicions and criticism about his appointment these days.

“Michael Carrick is in heaven,” Neville told Sky Sports. “Manchester City can’t believe it. Big numbers, [Gianluigi] Donnarumma, Rodri, Haaland shook their heads and most of all, Pep Guardiola – was surprised. They were chased down.

“It was a fantastic afternoon for United,” added Keane. “Not as if they were lucky.”

Former United striker Wayne Rooney told BBC Sport: “The fans have been hungry for that for the last few years. I know it’s only one game but I think everyone can see how good that team can be.

“You hear everyone, especially us as former players, talk about the United DNA and that just shows what it is. The level of work off the ball, the wingers are coming back to fill in and help the defenders.”

United hit the woodwork twice, had three goals disallowed for offside and Donnarumma made four excellent saves. His second-half reaction effort to deny Casemiro as he tried to pull the ball back, after being first stopped by Amad Diallo, was so good the Brazilian was left biting his shirt in frustration.

There has been a lot of talk this week about the management that United should be trying to sign in the summer and that Carrick should be considered as a fill-in.

However, those views ignore the emotional upheaval created by the games and the results.

For the first time in what feels like a very long time, Old Trafford has returned to the sound of fans who respond well to a team that gives their best and delivers a gameplan, in the context of this season of 40 games, it is enough to get a win in the most important game.

“The players were fed up with it,” said Carrick. “They came out of the locker room wanting to do well. I thought you shouldn’t get discouraged because it can cloud your judgment and make decisions because you’re too focused on the spirit.

“But they got the balance right and the supporters were amazing.

“I said yesterday this can be a magical place. It does funny things and to get that feeling is exactly what we want.

“It’s something we have to build on. We don’t get too carried away, but you have to enjoy that feeling when you get it.”