‘It’s everything we could have hoped for’ - Carrick happy with performance from his team

Carrick made a dream start to his tenure as Manchester United's head coach, guiding his team to a crucial 2-0 victory over rivals Manchester City in a spirited Old Trafford derby.

Goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu secured the win for United, providing Carrick with a perfect result in his first match since taking charge for the remainder of the season.

While City manager Pep Guardiola argued that United's Diogo Dalot should have received a red card for an early tackle on Jeremy Doku, he ultimately conceded that his side was second-best in the 198th Manchester derby.

Speaking after the win, he said, "It's a great start, there's no getting away from that. Old Trafford is a magical place and it certainly was today. We all felt that."

"It’s everything we could have hoped for. I've had a real sense for the last few days, and especially before the game, how much the players were desperate to give success and that feeling to the supporters."

"It made me proud to watch my team," he added. "Putting things together quite quickly, coming in and trying to put a print on the team, and emotionally getting everyone attached to what we want to do. I felt that unbelievably from the staff and the players."

United's dominant performance saw them have three additional goals disallowed for offside and hit the frame of the goal twice, marking only their second Premier League home win against City since 2020.

"We could have had more," Carrick noted. "I felt like we looked dangerous in the game all the time."

The new manager urged his players to maintain this level of performance for the rest of the campaign. "That's the challenge ultimately. I think it needs to be a version of normal," he stated.