Michael Carrick walked calmly down the touchline and offered his hand to Mikel Arteta at the final whistle, just as he had to Pep Guardiola eight days earlier. Another one bites the dust.
Carrick hadn’t been quite so restrained when Patrick Dorgu crashed a volley off the underside of the bar to put Manchester United ahead at the Emirates, or when Matheus Cunha guided an equally sensational finish inside David Raya’s left-hand post to claim a 3-2 win, leaping into a scrum of purple tracksuits in the away dugout to celebrate with his backroom team.
But by the time Craig Pawson signalled the end of another hugely encouraging win for United, their new head coach had regained his composure.
A solid handshake for Arteta, a hug from his old team-mate Gabriel Heinze, who is now on the Arsenal staff, and Carrick congratulated his coaches before heading onto the pitch to enjoy the moment with the players and the fans. His teenage children, Louise and Jacey, were in the away end here.
‘I saw them,’ he said. ‘It’s nice. They were going as crazy as everyone else.’
Michael Carrick celebrates in front of the Man United fans – and his children – at Arsenal
Carrick wildly celebrated United’s goals with his purple-clad backroom staff
After seeing Arsenal go the same way as Manchester City, the United fans could hardly contain themselves. ‘We’re going to win the league,’ they sang.
When that was pointed out to Carrick afterwards, he smiled. ‘Oh, okay. It’s been less than two weeks that we’ve been together. Looking too far ahead can come back and bite you.
‘Nothing has changed. You’ve got to be humble enough to understand how we’ve just achieved these two big results. It doesn’t just come easy, so we need to continue that and bottle it and use it again.’ Carrick might not be going crazy like his kids. He might not be getting carried away. But he will have a hard time keeping a cork in that bottle if this continues.
The 44-year-old couldn’t have been handed two tougher games when he was put in charge for the rest of the season following Ruben Amorim’s sacking, yet here he is sat on six points.
It’s enough to lift United into the top four at last, with only the Premier League to focus on for the remaining 15 games of the season.
Carrick was on the coaching staff when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s success as caretaker earned him the job on a permanent basis in 2019. It was a decision the Old Trafford hierarchy had little choice in taking, even though they suspected Solskjaer might not be the right man.
All the indications are that United would be reluctant to go the same route again, but what can they do if he keeps this up? Thank Carrick for his time and launch a search for external candidates?
His record over two spells as United boss now includes four wins over Arsenal (twice), Manchester City and Villarreal, and a draw with Chelsea.
Kobbie Mainoo is one of Carrick’s common sense choices which have worked well
Harry Maguire and match-winner Matheus Cunha leave the Emirates Stadium pitch
Carrick has got United playing with confidence and no little swagger after the torpor of the Amorim era.
Common sense decisions to bring back Harry Maguire and Kobbie Mainoo have paid off. Both were excellent again and Maguire claimed the man of the match award for his efforts in the face of Arsenal’s aerial onslaught.
Playing Bryan Mbeumo through the middle has been an unqualified success. He scored his second goal under Carrick here, as did Dorgu.
Dropping Cunha to the bench was seen as a gamble but the Brazilian has given the right response in both games, coming on to set up Dorgu’s strike against City and then claim a stunning winner here.
‘It’s been great for Michael,’ said Wayne Rooney. ‘Two wins out of two against Manchester City and Arsenal, I don’t think he would have dreamt of that start when he took over last week. I think you’ve seen a complete change in everything really since he’s been in. He’ll be delighted.’
Not surprisingly, another of Carrick’s former teammates wasn’t enthusiastic about the prospect of him landing the job full-time at the end of the season.
‘Two games? Anyone can win two games,’ said Roy Keane. ‘Even if they get fourth I wouldn’t be convinced he’s the man for the job. They need a bigger and better manager. But credit to him.’
Maguire walks down the tunnel with his Premier League Player of the Match award
Maybe so, and Keane’s right; it is spectacularly early to be discussing decisions that don’t have to be made for another four months. No-one is urging calm and caution more than Carrick himself.
United face Fulham at Old Trafford on Sunday and that will ask a different question of his team: can they break down opponents who don’t attack them quite so openly as Arsenal or City?
After all, it was a run of draws with West Ham, Bournemouth, Wolves, Leeds and Burnley that helped contribute to Amorim’s demise.
After Arteta and Guardiola, Marco Silva will ask a different question of Carrick too. On the evidence so far, you would bet on him having the answer.
