After Manchester United suffered a crushing defeat to Brighton in the third round of the English FA Cup, fans at Old Trafford began whistling at the team. Michael Carrick took responsibility for this failure.
The team lost 3-2, conceding two goals that were scored early in the match. Shay Lacey and Mason Mount put United ahead 2-0 by the tenth minute. However, the home side displayed extremely poor play: Charalambos Costulas reduced the deficit, Pascal Groß equalized, and then Maxime De Kuyper scored the winning goal.
This was the first time in 50 years that United had lost a home match while leading 2-0. This defeat was another serious blow to the club following the controversial home loss to Manchester City on Sunday.
Carrick called the third-round defeat unacceptable, but he himself took the main share of the blame. He stated: 'We had the game exactly where we wanted it, and we let it slip away. That is the story of the game.' He added that they would study several moments where things went wrong, emphasizing: 'We cannot accept this as a group. Listen, I am responsible for this, for the game closer to the end of the second half. It is on me.'
Previously, when serving as interim manager, Carrick led United to third place last season. In the current season, he was expected to lead the title challenge after being appointed permanently. Nevertheless, United has already lost three out of six matches in all competitions, putting pressure on Carrick to change the situation in the match against Fulham in the top division on Sunday.
Amid criticism regarding the club's transfer policy during the pre-season, Carrick's decision to make eight changes against Brighton highlighted a lack of squad depth. The defeat in West London this weekend will put United in a difficult position just one month after the start of the new season.
Carrick noted that the situation is 'unpleasant' at the moment. He assured that the team will improve because they need to improve their play. 'We have an important match on Sunday that we must prepare for. We are out of this tournament. We need to get back to winning football matches,' he said. He continued that they want to win and want to do it quickly, and that his primary focus is on the upcoming Sunday match.
Carrick is a distinguished member of the United teams that won Premier League and Champions League titles under Alex Ferguson. His successful interim period raised hopes that he could lead United to its first English title since Ferguson's departure in 2013. However, the former England midfielder, whose only previous experience managing a team was with Middlesbrough, is under threat of dismissal if results do not improve quickly.
United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe, who oversees the club's football operations, has already sacked Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim during his tenure. Responding to the question of why fans are so upset about United's latest failure, Carrick stated: 'It is quite obvious, isn't it? I completely understand the fans' feelings. You have to accept it. I completely accept it. Ultimately, it is on me, as a team, how we look, how we play, and what results we achieve. I will accept it. I will accept the praise and I will stand here accepting the criticism and the shocks. I completely understand it tonight because of how the game went. We must win matches.'
