Manchester United's era under interim head coach Michael Carrick started with a win on Saturday lunchtime against fierce rivals Manchester City
Michael Carrick salutes the Stretford End after Manchester United defeat Manchester City 2-0
Michael Carrick salutes the Stretford End after Manchester United defeat Manchester City 2-0(Image: Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)
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When Michael Carrick went to bed on Friday evening, he would have dreamt about the ideal start as Manchester United interim head coach. That dream became a reality on Saturday as the Reds banished the memory of a 3-0 defeat in September's reverse fixture in brilliant fashion at Old Trafford.
The mood had once again been lifted at Old Trafford prior to kick off thanks mostly due to the opponents. No matter how bad the form or performances are for United, a game against Manchester City is always enough to rally the troops and so it proved with the home fans keen to make the stadium a cauldron before kick off.
Once the match started, you could sense United were playing with an intensity which we have seen too rarely this season. While some may credit Carrick or the crowd for that, the truth is we know United can create an impressive tempo when they put their minds to it.
Away at Liverpool under Ruben Amorim, the Reds played with a belief which some teams can only hope for. This attitude resulted in a terrific result at Anfield and United have now picked up a tremendous three points off their nearest rivals City.
But what Carrick managed to do and where Amorim failed with was to make the flanks dangerous for the full 90 minutes. Surprisingly, considering how much Amorim's 3-4-2-1 system relied upon wing-backs, there were many occasions when the Reds looked so poor when they tried to play with width under their previous boss.
Amad was the standout wing-back for the Reds under Amorim, but if we analyse some of the most damning results this season, their approach on the flanks was the key issue. Take the Everton defeat as one example, how many times did United's attacks fizzle out because they were too slow, passive and predictable?
The Wolves draw was more of the same from a United perspective. That is partly what put Amorim's tenure in trouble.
Compare that to the City win. The difference was night and day. Diogo Dalot may have been lucky to be on the pitch in the second half following his challenge on Jeremy Doku in the first 45 minutes, but he made his presence count afterwards.
His link-up play with Amad down the right was impressive as United searched for a goal and after a masterful breakaway for Bryan Mbeumo's first, it was the right side which brought about Patrick Dorgu's strike to make it 2-0, thanks to Matheus Cunha's cross.
On the left, Luke Shaw and Dorgu enjoyed a good connection; with the crowd audibly 'ole-ing' at one slick move which saw Shaw flick the ball through for the Dane. This sort of wing play has been desperately lacking for the Reds this season and Amorim is likely scratching his head from home as to why this team has managed to do something he could not drill into them.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Carrick was keen to emphasise how small of a step this was for the Reds. "I am not getting carried away. It is one result, but it needs to be a regular feeling with that level of performance," he insisted.
However, such a monumental change down will give United fans confidence that they will be able to put a run of form together to finish in the top four this season. If they do that, Ineos may have to justify why they are not giving Carrick the job permanently this summer.