This marked only Man Utd's second victory in their 8 most recent matches across all competitions. However, for Carrick personally, defeating Man City in the Manchester derby was a perfect way to begin his new "reign" at Old Trafford.
The Man Utd players quickly adopted Carrick's preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, a system that had brought him success at Middlesbrough. Despite only 32% possession, the home team dominated Man City in key attacking metrics, such as: expected goals (2,03 compared to 0,45) and shots on target (7 compared to 1).
![]() |
Forward Mbeumo celebrates the opening goal in the match against Man City at Old Trafford, Manchester, England on 16/1. *Photo: Reuters* |
