'We're not getting carried away': Michael Carrick tells his players to stay humble after perfect start

Michael Carrick urged his Manchester United players to remain humble after a thrilling 3-2 win over Arsenal in north London on Sunday, a result that has further lifted spirits at Old Trafford following a perfect start under the interim manager.

Carrick returned to United as Ruben Amorim’s replacement earlier this month. Four days later, he helped the side to a 2-0 win over rival Manchester City. It was their first win over their rivals at Old Trafford in two years. Now, Carrick has won his second consecutive game as coach.

United produced a stunning second-half performance to beat Arsenal for the first time in the Premier League at the Emirates since 2017. Goals from Patrick Dorgu and Matheus Cunha after the break sealed a famous victory, loosening Arsenal’s grip on the title race.

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Despite the excitement around the club, Carrick was quick to play down expectations. “I think it’s more about the feeling that this gives us, really, as a group. And the players and as a club, and certainly the supporters. That’s my concern - how that can bring us together and lift us, in a real positive manner. I’m not getting all carried away, we’ve got some bigger games coming up, because the next game is always the bigger game," he said.

“So we’re not getting carried away. We’ve got really important things coming up and we need to keep improving. Two massive games, there’s a lot of emotion, a lot of energy and a lot of confidence that you can take but we’ve got to be humble and understand how we’ve got these results. That’s really important moving forward.”

United have now climbed to fourth place in the table with 38 points, boosting their hopes of finishing in the top four and returning to the UEFA Champions League. However, Carrick said they are not looking too far ahead and are taking it one game at a time.

“We’ll finish where we finish by getting the results. I know that’s kind of obvious, but looking too far ahead can come back and bite you really. So we’ve taken this week by week, and game by game. We’ll certainly continue to do that. But we’ve got to ride it and use the emotion, you have got to use the energy and use the confidence. You’ve got to be humble enough to understand how we could just achieve these two big results,” he said.

“It was absolutely massive,” United defender Harry Maguire told Sky Sports. “Michael’s come in, he’s been brilliant with us, he’s brought a fresh energy, the group’s really galvanised.”

How Man United spoiled Arsenal’s home game

Everything was going to plan for Arsenal when they took the lead in the 29th minute with a Lisandro Martinez own goal. But a terrible mistake by Martin Zubimendi in the 37th minute gifted United an equaliser for Bryan Mbeumo.

Dorgu then rifled in a volley in the 50th minute and United’s confidence was soaring until substitute Mikel Merino prodded the hosts level from a corner.

United were not finished though and substitute Cunha was allowed to advance towards Arsenal’s goal before curling a low shot past the dive of David Raya from 25 metres to spark wild celebrations amongst the visiting fans.

Arsenal are now winless in three league games after two 0-0 draws but with 50 points from 23 games are still in a strong position, despite the boos of some fans at the end.

(With agency inputs)