Michael Carrick could hardly have dreamt of a better start to his second spell as Manchester United’s interim manager, but he has passed his first tests with flying colours.
While a derby day win over Manchester City last week left United fans on cloud nine, the club’s 3-2 win over Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday is an even more impressive result, the visitors stunning the league leaders as their fans delighted in a professional, inventive and at times brilliant performance.
Not even the most diehard fan would have predicted these wins in the opening two games of Carrick’s second tenure, but United delivered in style at the Emirates, with recent signings Bryan Mbeumo, Patrick Dorgu and Matheus Cunha scoring the goals in a deserved win.
And while United’s goals came about via both luck and two superb strikes from Dorgu and Cunha, it was a match that reflects extremely positively on Carrick.
United are not “back” by any means but this was an away performance that offered plenty of hope, with discipline, energy, desire, invention and even some of the same swagger that the United teams of old once took to the league’s biggest away grounds.
Granted, the bare bones of the gameplan here were provided by both Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, with both having frustrated Arsenal over the last few weeks, though Carrick set his side up well as the visitors nullified Arsenal for large parts, with United’s big players showing up as the visitors showed a noticeable change in tempo and confidence.
Carrick’s team selection paid off once again too. Mbeumo scored United’s first goal last week and was again a threat this evening, pouncing on Martin Zubimendi’s mistake to fire his side level, while Dorgu launched United into the lead at the Emirates with the goal of the day. The Dane has so far proved a revelation on the left of United’s attacking three.
And Cunha’s introduction was another change that paid off for Carrick, the Brazilian scoring a superb winner after providing the assist for United’s second in the derby win just over a week ago.
The early signs are all positive, but while Carrick’s first two matches have proven that his team can go toe-to-toe with the league’s best sides over the course of one match, what is far more important is someone making this United side one that is capable of challenging over 38.
The derby wins and away victories live long in the memory but they do not make the foundation of a season. All of United’s recent managers have struggled against the so-called “lesser” sides, with Ruben Amorim’s iteration in particular often lacking in verve and invention in the final third while also being leaky in defence.
And it means that there will be a cautious excitement among United fans, even if they can revel in an obvious level of improvement over the last two weeks.
With that in mind, attention will quickly turn to next weekend’s fixture against Fulham, where United will face an altogether different test in a match where they’ll be expected to dominate.
We have not yet seen Carrick’s side in a match where they were tasked with controlling proceedings and breaking down a defence, even if they did show glimpses of promise at times at the Emirates with slick combinations in midfield and dangerous attacking moves.
United are nowhere near challenging for the league but the acid test of where Carrick and his side are at the moment will be in how they deal with games they are supposed to win, rather than those where there is little to lose and the shackles can come off.
United’s win takes them into fourth, one point ahead of Chelsea and two above Liverpool, and the Red Devils now have the advantage in the race for top four. There will be plenty of intrigue over their next games, when they take on Fulham and Tottenham at home before travelling to West Ham on 10 February.
There are still questions to be answered as United hunt a return to the Champions League next season – such as the long-term roles of Cunha and Benjamin Sesko or how the defence copes – but the early signs have been overwhelmingly positive, even if Carrick was quick to urge caution and advise staying “humble” in his post-match press conference.
Carrick was privy to the most recent false dawns at Old Trafford over the last few seasons, and while these first two wins suggest this is more than just another flash in the pan, he knows his side still have plenty to do if they want to dispel any early doubters. However, he might be surprised by how much a convincing win over Fulham may help do exactly that.
