Monkey off their backs: United make it four out of four under Carrick as key obstacle overcome

Manchester United made it four wins out of four under Michael Carrick as they dispatched Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 on Saturday. With four consecutive wins, the caretaker head coach has already done something that predecessor Ruben Amorim failed to achieve in 18 months. The three points mean the Red Devils are only two points behind Aston Villa in third, and with momentum on their side, there is no saying what can happen between now and the end of the season. Spurs will point to Cristian Romero’s 29th-minute red card as the turning point, but as recent history has shown, it could have made things harder for the hosts. United have struggled against low blocks Against Everton earlier in the season, the 20-time English league champions failed to make their man advantage count and ended up losing 1-0. Stats have shown that United tend to play better when the opposition have more of the ball, as seen from their last three wins. Breaking down a low block has often turned out to be the three-time Champions League winners’ Achilles heel. But not on Saturday. A brilliant corner routine caught the visitors completely unaware in the first half, as Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring. Michael Carrick has broken the jinx Spurs were busy trying to mark the heavy hitters inside the box like Harry Maguire and Casemiro. Instead, a cute pass to the Cameroonian on the edge of the box ensured the breakthrough. The home side created bucket loads of chances, with Guglielmo Vicario single-handedly thwarting them at times. Unlike in the past, United did not lose their heads, kept calm and kept plugging away. And eventually they got that all important insurance goal through none other than skipper Bruno Fernandes. He shinned the ball home very cleverly instead of trying to hit it too hard, showing his mastery when it mattered. The win should give the team a lot of confidence, getting the low block monkey off their backs. Roll on Tuesday and the chance to make it five out of five. Feature image Carl Recine 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