Michael Carrick off to dream start as Man United grab sensational 2-0 win over Man City

Manchester United grabbed a sensational 2-0 win over Manchester City on Saturday afternoon. It was a perfect start to life at Old Trafford for Michael Carrick, in what was his first match in charge as Man United’s new interim head coach. First half Just three minutes in, new manager Michael Carrick almost got his tenure at Old Trafford off to a dream start. Bruno Fernandes whipped in a corner, with Harry Maguire and Erling Haaland rising to head the ball. It was Maguire who won the battle, thumping his header into the crossbar. A decent start from the home side. After the 10-minute mark, Diogo Dalot received a yellow card for a tackle on Jeremy Doku with his studs exposed. Four minutes later, Antoine Semenyo picked out Bernardo Silva in the box, whose header drifted wide. Luke Shaw was booked in the 16th minute due to clattering into Rodri. United’s defenders would need to improve their composure in order to avoid more bookings or, worse, suspensions. It was end-to-end action in the minutes that followed, with neither side gaining the advantage. Amad Diallo raced down the right flank, stopping short of the box and lobbing the ball to Bryan Mbeumo in the centre. Ultimately, Mbeumo’s header went wide. Past the half-hour mark, Fernandes did well to intercept the ball on the edge of City’s box, only for his pass to Mbeumo to go astray. It was a massive opportunity missed there. In the 33rd minute, it seemed as if United broke the deadlock. Fernandes threaded a through ball to Amad in the centre, who dribbled past the keeper and slotted the ball into an empty net. Unfortunately, the flag was raised for offside, triggering a wave of groans across Old Trafford. While VAR checked the decision, Amad was proven to be marginally offside. Following a prolonged period of possession, City came close to scoring when Semenyo’s shot from distance drifted across the face of the goal. Five minutes before the break, United had a goal ruled offside yet again. Fernandes got on the end of a long ball from Patrick Dorgu, beating the defence and racing into the box to bury the ball in the back of the net. Yet again, VAR determined that United’s goalscorer was offside. Two minutes of stoppage time were added. United earned a free-kick in their opponents’ half when Rodri fouled Dorgu. Fernandes’ cross went astray, with Maguire allegedly fouling Haaland in the scramble to get the ball. After that moment, the referee blew the half-time whistle. While the game was still goalless, United displayed excellent composure in defence and plenty of pace and aggression up front. It certainly seemed as if Carrick was off to the right start as his team made their way down the tunnel for the break. Second half United looked ferocious out of the gate, with Amad bursting down the wing only to be fouled by Nico O’Reilly. Fernandes stepped up to take the free kick, crossing the ball to Maguire in the box. The cross fell short, with City’s defence clearing the ball out of danger. In the 57th minute, Amad got on the end of a long ball, hurtling a fiery shot at goal which Gianluigi Donnarumma saved. Casemiro picked up the rebound, racing into the box and taking a soft shot that the keeper managed to block at full stretch. Yet again, United were unable to break the deadlock. Fernandes picked out Mbeumo with a cross, only for his close-range shot to be denied by the goalkeeper yet again. Maguire gave away a dangerous free-kick due to taking down Haaland. Despite threatening In the 65th minute, United finally got the breakthrough they deserved. Straight off Maguire’s header, United embarked on a rapid counter, with three United players up against two City defenders. Fernandes threaded the ball to Mbeumo, who made no mistake as he slotted the ball past Donnarumma and into the far corner of the net, with Old Trafford erupting in delight. What a way for Mbeumo to announce his return from AFCON. In the 71st minute, Mbeumo came off to a round of thunderous applause as he was replaced by Matheus Cunha. With just 15 minutes to play, United doubled their lead. Cunha sprinted down the right, beating his marker before slotting the ball into the centre of the box, where a pacey Dorgu grabbed only the second goal of his United career. An excellent piece of counter-attacking football by the hosts, not to mention an ideal substitution by Carrick a few minutes earlier. Carrick made his second substitution, taking off Casemiro for Manuel Ugarte. Overall, Carrick produced an impeccable performance, making all the right tactical decisions such as formation, substitutions, and initial starting lineup selection to earn his team a most valuable victory. On the stroke of 90 minutes, Fernandes pick out Amad, who ran from behind the halfway line all the way into the box, beating Donnarumma but not the woodwork with his promising shot. It was a pity that Amad couldn’t get on the scoresheet to top off his impressive performance. Carrick decided to make a double change in stoppage time, bringing on a double change. Mason Mount and Ayden Heaven came on for Shaw and Fernandes. Then, Mount himself enjoyed a dream cameo, scoring with his first touch of the match. Cunha was yet again the engineer of the movement, threading the ball into the the box following another fast counter which Mount put into the net. Sadly, it wasn’t to be, as VAR found Cunha to be offside. Sir Alex Ferguson had a massive smile on his face as he watched from the stands, clearly jubilant over United’s resounding victory as the final whistle blew. What an emphatic performance from United, not to mention a game of tactical genius from Carrick. Clearly, United fans have a lot to be excited about this season with the former midfielder at the helm. featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images Starting XI: Lammens, Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw, Casemiro, Mainoo, Amad, Fernandes, Dorgu, Mbeumo Subs: Cunha, Ugarte, Mount, Heaven 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 Mathew Cohen A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.