Man Utd drew 1-1 with Tottenham but the result would have been worse if Spurs had taken even half of their chances.
Carrick pictured after the 1-1 draw vs Spurs. (Image: 2026 CameraSport)
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When Kobbie Mainoo was dispossessed by Lucas Bergvall in the first half of Manchester United's game against Tottenham, he lashed out and punched the turf in anger.
Michael Carrick needed his team to start on the front foot against Spurs, a game that would set the tone ahead of a tricky run of fixtures, but they looked like they'd spent the international break on the beach.
Carrick stuck with a midfield trio of Youri Tielemans, Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes to face Tottenham, despite Carlos Baleba getting another three weeks of training under his belt after being fit enough to be named on the bench at Fulham.
United were hammered for their shocking running statistics after the Fulham draw. Baleba was an obvious solution to address the lack of legs in the centre of the pitch, but Carrick picked Tielemans again, which was predictable as he'd started every other Premier League game.
It was therefore no surprise that the same problems were evident in the midfield during a concerning 20 minutes, in which Tottenham broke the lines and effortlessly bypassed Mainoo, Tielemans and Fernandes.
Spurs were all over United during that period. The red shirts could not get to grips with the away side's intensity, and Roberto de Zerbi wondered how his team had failed to convert one of their chances.
There was one moment when Marcos Senesi found Conor Gallagher close to the halfway line, playing a ball between Tielemans and Mainoo, which prompted the pair to look at each other in confusion.
Tottenham looked fitter, sharper and more agile than United, and it showed in the possession stats, which were heavily in their favour. The home crowd voiced their frustration.
When Senne Lammens gathered a throw-in in the 26th minute, United were slow to get out of their own box, and supporters let the players know what they thought with groans and audible shouts of 'Get out!'.
Lammens also had a few issues with the ball at his feet. At the start of the game, he was fortunate to get away with a botched pass, and although he atoned for his mistake by denying Solanke, that error seemed to play on his mind whenever the ball was played back to him.
The chatter in the press room during half-time was about how off the pace Tielemans had looked and how long it would take Carrick to introduce Baleba to the game, which only seemed to be going in one direction.
Baleba received warm applause as he was sent out to warm up eight minutes into the second half. United fans could see the team was struggling in midfield and were gesturing for the new signing to come on.
When Baleba finally got the nod to come on, Carrick clasped hands with Baleba and patted him on the chest. The reaction from United's support, a standing ovation around the ground, was telling when he replaced Tielemans.
The 22-year-old's first contribution was a skilful turn under pressure and an ambitious pass over the top to Fernandes. The crowd lapped it up, but it only added to the frustration with Carrick for not starting him.
A midfield trio of Tielemans, Mainoo and Fernandes does not work. United picked up five points in their first five games with that trio, so Carrick must not look back now that Baleba has made his debut.
Baleba can provide everything the midfield has been lacking: running power, energy and defensive nous. He quickly got stuck in against Spurs and received a warning from the referee shortly after coming on.
United then delivered the ultimate suckerpunch to take the lead through Bryan Mbeumo, who fashioned a yard of space in the box and found the bottom right with a deadly finish, another moment of individual brilliance.
Tottenham had created several big chances, including a handful at the start of the second half, and had won the midfield battle, but they looked set to pay the price for their wastefulness, with their chances of responding diminishing when Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off.
United were on course to get away with a poor performance until Solanke produced an equaliser in added time, a hammer blow for Carrick but a deserved goal for De Zerbi, who celebrated wildly on the touchline.
Carrick may point to Baleba's fitness and say he was not ready to start when explaining why Tielemans got the nod, but the evidence of the second half proved that a half-fit Baleba would have been an upgrade on the Belgian.
It's rare that a manager can get his midfield selection wrong and still win a game. Baleba must start against Atletico Madrid.