After the win against Spurs, Luke Shaw has revealed the ‘biggest difference’ Michael Carrick has made at Man Utd.
Manchester United continued their impressive Premier League run under Michael Carrick, making it four wins on the bounce with a convincing 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur. Goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes capped off a dominant night for the hosts.
United began the contest with confidence, but Tottenham soon settled and started to apply pressure of their own. That spell was abruptly ended just before the half-hour mark when captain Cristian Romero was dismissed for a reckless challenge on Casemiro, swinging the momentum firmly in United’s favour.
The breakthrough arrived in the 38th minute as United made the most of their numerical advantage, with a well-worked set-piece falling kindly for Mbeumo, who guided a first-time finish past Guglielmo Vicario.
United remained on top after the interval and eventually sealed all three points late on, as Diogo Dalot’s pinpoint cross was met by Fernandes, who rifled the ball into the net to make it 2-0.
Shaw raves about Carrick
Since the return of Carrick to the club, he has injected a new lease of life into every player and created a system which places almost every player in their preferred position.
As such, the performances of the team have been elevated to a level that matches the result. A stark difference from under Ruben Amorim, where often the score would not reflect the performances.
Luke Shaw has quietly been a key cog in the side as he has started all 25 games so far in the Premier League for the first time in his career at Old Trafford. After returning to his more natural left-back position, he has been able to show more of his technical quality going forward, something he was unable to do under Amorim at centre-back.
The Englishman spoke to TalkSport after the Spurs win and revealed what Carrick has done that has enabled the United players to win consistently.
“He’s made lots of differences,” he said. “But for me, the biggest one is he knows the club, and he knows exactly what’s needed to win football matches, to make everyone happy and to enjoy what we’re doing.
“He’s, of course, won a lot when he was here as a player. So he understands the club, and I think that’s the biggest thing for me. He knows how to get the best out of the players, and he’s really doing that.”
Important run of games
Following the win against Spurs, the Red Devils now inch closer to third-place Aston Villa, who the club sit three points ahead of in fourth. Manchester City are yet to play this gameweek, but if they were to lose, United would also be three points behind them.
After a run of playing three of the big six teams in four games, the club now go on a run of playing West Ham, Everton and Crystal Palace.
It is easy to think that on paper these are easy games when looking at, especially, Palace and West Ham’s league position. The latter side has looked a rejuvenated side with a lot of attacking flair, as well as Everton entering the battle for Europe.
Earlier in the season, when United played these same three teams after going on a run of being five games unbeaten, the Red Devils only picked up four points from a possible nine, including the dismal loss to Everton at home.
Considering United play these three teams after a run of good results yet again, this will provide a great indicator of how much United have improved and how far up the league table Carrick’s side can push.
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