Manchester United’s difficult start to the Premier League season has taken another worrying turn after Michael Carrick’s side suffered a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City despite their opponents being reduced to 10 men before half-time.
For the third time in less than 10 months, United have been beaten by a team that finished the first half with a numerical disadvantage, raising fresh questions about the team’s mentality, tactics and ability to take advantage of favourable situations.
Much of the discussion following Sunday’s Manchester derby has centred on Erling Haaland’s winning goal and the decision surrounding the incident, which prompted Pro Ref to apologise to United for what it described as an “error of judgement”.
But inside Carrington, the concerns are likely to go much deeper than the controversial refereeing decision.
United couldn’t find an equaliser despite a numerical advantage for much of the game, leaving Carrick under increasing scrutiny after his side collected just four points from their opening four Premier League matches.
The manager had previously defended United’s start after last weekend’s draw at Everton, but he now admits there is no escaping the fact that their points tally falls below expectations.
“There is no getting away from the fact that four points from four games is below expectations, Carrick acknowledged.
United’s only league victory so far came at home against newly promoted Ipswich, while defeats and dropped points have left them already playing catch-up in the early stages of the campaign.
The latest setback is likely to intensify debate over United’s summer recruitment, team selection, substitutions and tactical approach, while Carrick himself will inevitably face questions about whether he can turn the situation around.
The former United midfielder insists his team does not need to start again.
“We don’t need a break or a restart,” Carrick said. “We’ve just got to move on and get winning again.”
That task begins with a Carabao Cup meeting with Brighton on September 16 before United travel to Fulham four days later.
Those two fixtures could prove important for Carrick.
With another three-week international break approaching, United will be desperate to enter it with positive results rather than allowing another period of uncertainty to dominate the conversation around Old Trafford.
For now, the defeat to City has exposed a worrying pattern: even when United are presented with an opportunity to change the course of a match, they are struggling to take it.
And unless that changes quickly, the questions surrounding Carrick and his Manchester United project are only likely to grow louder.
