Carrick’s biggest impact as coach was on full display in the second half as United taught Villa a harsh lesson

Manchester United bounced back from their defeat against Newcastle last week by dismantling Aston Villa 3-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday. The victory saw the Red Devils go three points clear of Unai Emery’s side in third place and take control in the race for Champions League football. Michael Carrick was under pressure following their previous loss and underwhelming recent performances, but his team proved their worth against Villa. The first half was sloppy, but the visitors hardly ever threatened, and the home side turned on the style in the second half. Second-half turnaround Casemiro opened the scoring from another set-piece, highlighting what a loss the Brazilian will be from next season. The away team then scored a dubious goal to equalise, and at that moment, many inside the Theatre of Dreams would have been worried about heads dropping and the team’s fragile mentality cracking under pressure. This had been a common problem under Ruben Amorim, where many had questioned the team’s ability to rise up and be counted when the going gets tough. However, Carrick has changed this mentality significantly, with United coming back to win on several occasions since the caretaker head coach took charge. Carrick has changed United’s mentality They came back to win against Arsenal, and did not lose their heads as they clinched a stunning late win over Fulham. A late point against West Ham and a come-from-behind win against Crystal Palace further highlight this point. Bruno Fernandes single-handedly ensured there would be no further blip, as his sublime assist was finished off by Matheus Cunha to hand the hosts the lead. Super sub Benjamin Sesko ensured the points stayed in Manchester with another impactful cameo off the bench. Michael Carrick has quite the dilemma to solve: keep trusting Sesko as an impact substitute or hand him a start. It is a good problem to have. United are next in action against Bournemouth on Friday night. Feature image Lewis Storey via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25