Michael Carrick suggested that Manchester United’s victory over Manchester City at Old Trafford was underpinned by a simple idea: playing to the team’s strengths and doing the basics well.
Even with the defensive injuries plaguing Pep Guardiola’s side, few expected United to get a positive result from the derby clash, let alone wipe the floor with their local rivals.
The Red Devils secured a 2–0 win, but given that three goals were disallowed as offside, the woodwork was struck twice and City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma pulled off a number of big saves, a much wider margin of victory wouldn’t have been unjust.
Carrick’s team ceded the majority of ball possession to the visitors, but played with a very direct approach, high in speed and intensity that harked back to the lauded ‘United way’ that has only been seen infrequently in the 13 years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
“It is not for me to pick [Man City] apart publicly. We wanted to play to our strengths,” Carrick told Sky Sports after the final whistle.
The attacking width provided by wingers Amad Diallo and Patrick Dorgu stretched the pitch and marked a significant improvement from Ruben Amorim’s time in charge, when the use of wing backs and inside forwards lacked the same impact.
Dorgu scored the second goal, showcasing his ability to play higher up the pitch despite making his name as a full back. Bryan Mbeumo had earlier put United ahead on his first appearance since Cameroon’s elimination from the Africa Cup of Nations.
“The two wide lads, Amad and Dorgu, were fantastic both ways,” Carrick said. “Mbeumo and Bruno [Fernandes], [Matheus] Cunha coming on and making the difference, [Mason] Mount nearly getting the goal. Everything was what we hoped for.”
The boss added: “I don’t want to get carried away with all the DNA kind of thing. We wanted to play well and put things into the game that we thought we help that.
“We certainly wanted to be good defensively as a team. We felt we had a threat in transition. When we did have the ball, I thought we looked dangerous. I couldn’t ask for any more. The boys took everything on tactically and dealt with it emotionally.”
Carrick’s Message to Man Utd Players
Lisandro Martínez, who shackled Erling Haaland in tandem with Harry Maguire in their first start together for 11 months, underlined the simplicity of Carrick’s overall message to the squad.
“I think one important thing that Michael Carrick said was ‘use the energy of the people’ and, today, I think we did it,” the Argentine defender told Sky Sports.
The benefit is clear: “When we are together like this, it is impossible to lose at home.”
While United’s biggest weakness last season was failing to score enough goals, that had been addressed in 2025–26 and defensive issues had taken over instead.
Score draws against Burnley, Bournemouth, Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest have proven costly in terms of points left on the pitch. Against City, goalkeeper Senne Lammens was barely tested and Martínez praised the efforts of the whole team contributing to that.
“When you play against these [Man City] players, the team defend,” he said. “Not just one or two players. Today, we defended so good, we were compact all the times.
“You have the confidence to go to the duels. Today, you feel a different energy when you see the eyes of the players. Today, the team won and that is the most important thing.”
READ THE LATEST MAN UTD NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
- Transfer Rumors: Liverpool Want €80 Million Midfielder; Güler Responds to Arsenal Interest
- Ten Permanent Managers Man Utd Could Target in Summer
- Five Things We Learned From Michael Carrick’s Stunning Second Debut As Man Utd Manager
- Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Man City: Carrick Era Begins With Dream Derby Win
This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Play to Our Strengths’—Michael Carrick Highlights Man Utd Tactic Behind Derby Victory.
