Manchester United’s frustration deepened on Saturday after Tottenham Hotspur snatched a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford with a 92nd-minute equaliser. Solanke headed in the late leveller after Bryan Mbeumo had given United the lead midway through the second half, and Tottenham had been playing with 10 men since Rodrigo Bentancur’s red card for head-butting Luke Shaw.
The home fans had arrived hoping to mock Manchester City, whose case with the Premier League had just produced a damning guilty verdict. Before kickoff, they sang “You cheating bastards, you know what you are,” and after Mbeumo’s goal they taunted Spurs with “You’re going down with the City.” By the final whistle, referee Stuart Attwell had blown for full time, and the United supporters were focused on their own side’s collapse rather than their neighbours’ scandal.
Carrick admitted the performance had been far from convincing. “Massively disappointed with the result for sure,” he said afterwards. “A mixed performance, to be totally honest. I think it was tough. It was challenging for the first period, definitely.”
He pointed to the second half as a sign of progress. “There was a big improvement through the second half as it progressed and we put ourselves in such a good position towards the end of the game. To then not see it through — we should find a way of seeing that through.”
A worrying pattern
The result leaves United with their worst start after six games of a league season since 1986, and the pressure on Carrick is growing. He has never been one to blame his players publicly, and he again avoided doing so in his post-match news conference, but he will know he has to deliver more.
Solanke’s header was the third time already this season that United have conceded in stoppage time. Two of those late goals, against Everton and Tottenham, have cost them four points in total. “It’s a couple of times now when — different ways, obviously — that’s two late, late goals against us to throw away two wins really,” said Carrick. “That changes a lot of things, you know. It changes a lot of feelings for ourselves and it changes points and what [the table] looks like. We need to do better with seeing out games, that’s for sure, once we get ourselves in a good position.”
The defensive lapse for Solanke’s goal drew scrutiny. Lisandro Martínez will not want to see the moment again, and it remains unclear what he was doing as Sandro Tonali’s cross floated towards the Spurs striker. Heading the ball clear may have been the better option, and Senne Lammens could also have done better.
Struggling against ten men
Solanke’s equaliser means Tottenham have now joined Manchester City in scoring at Old Trafford this season after having a player sent off. United have failed to win any of their past three games against sides with 10 men. In March, they lost 2-1 at Newcastle United after Jacob Ramsey was dismissed. In November, under Ruben Amorim, Everton won 1-0 at Old Trafford despite having Idrissa Gueye sent off for slapping his own teammate.
Carrick acknowledged the problem. “It’s definitely something where — 10 men or not 10 men — if we’re ahead in the game, we’ve got to see games out,” he said. “Whether that’s taking the ball, whether that’s controlling the game a little bit more, looking after the ball better in their half and around their box and pinning them in a little bit, or whether that’s defending moments better. Certainly, we need to improve that.”
There was another ominous statistic for the club. The last time United had fewer than six points after six games, Ron Atkinson was sacked as manager. Carrick is not in that position yet, but the pressure is mounting.
A glimmer of hope
Tottenham, who started the day bottom of the table, began the brighter side, and the boos rang out around Old Trafford after just 20 minutes. United’s play improved only when £70 million summer signing Carlos Baleba, who had joined from Brighton & Hove Albion, came on just before the hour mark. His energy and intent changed the feel of the game, and his debut was a positive one. It was overshadowed, though, by United’s failure to hold on to a lead they should have kept.
United now face a demanding run of fixtures. They travel to Atlético Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, before heading to Leeds United next weekend. After that comes another tough European assignment at Como.
Carrick insists his biggest issue is that United keep falling on the wrong side of fine margins. He will need that to change quickly if his side are to start moving in the right direction.