Michael Carrick has admit that reactions from Manchester United fans hurts as the Red Devils fail to win against a 10-man Tottenham side.
United continued their unimpressive form under Carrick as they failed to see out a victory despite holding a man advantage, leading to intense scrutiny of the manager’s position.
The draw against Tottenham mean United have failed to win five of their opening six Premier League matches this season (D3 L2) – as many games without a victory as they recorded across 17 league fixtures under Carrick last term.
Addressing the reaction from the stands, Carrick did not hide from the emotional toll the criticism took on him and his players.
Bryan Mbeumo celebrates after scoring United’s goal against Tottenham Hotspur. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
’It is not nice, it hurts a lot because I care about this club. But I understand the disappointment, the reality is what it is, we need to get back to winning games,’ the former midfielder told BBC Match of the Day.
Reflecting on the game, Carrick noted the difficulties his side faced in finding their rhythm. ‘It was a mixed game. We found it tough to start with. For a number of reasons, we were not quite there. You could see it was a challenging time,’ he admitted.
Bryan Mbeumo put United ahead in the 73rd minute and it seems that was enough to earn all three points.
The situation improved further for United when Tottenham were reduced to ten men after Rodrigo Bentancur was shown a straight red card following a physical altercation with Luke Shaw.
However, Spurs side to find a way back into the contest during the dying moments of the match. Dominic Solanke scored the decisive goal as he rose highest to meet a cross from Sandro Tonali.
Dominic Solanke celebrates Tottenham’s equaliser against Manchester United. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
Carrick was not pleased with the equaliser given the control his side should have exerted. ‘But the lads grew into the game, in the second half I thought we were better in everything. To get the game as we wanted it, in such a good position – we should see it through. We have to manage those situations. That’s two late goals which have hurt us, and things look very different. That’s the reality,’ Carrick explained.
