Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has showered caretaker boss Michael Carrick with praise for “galvanising” the Red Devils following Sunday’s 3-2 win over Premier League leaders Arsenal at the Emirates.
The win follows on from Manchester United’s 2-0 victory over Manchester City in Carrick’s first game in charge, making it a brilliant start to life back at Old Trafford for the former midfielder.
Matheus Cunha was the match-winner for Manchester United on Sunday, as he scored a stunning late goal to seal a 3-2 victory at the Emirates.
Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu were also on target as the Red Devils inflicted a first home defeat of the season on Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side.
The result means Carrick has six points from six since replacing Ruben Amorim in the Manchester United hotseat, while Arsenal drop points for a third straight Premier League match and now hold just a four-point lead over Aston Villa and Manchester City at the top of the table.
Maguire hails Carrick after ‘massive’ win
Maguire was full of praise for his new boss after the game, telling Sky Sports: “It was absolutely massive.
“We know that the first game, the derby at Old Trafford, you’re always up for them and you know that one-off results can happen, so we had to back it up today.
“We spoke about it before the game, coming to the league leaders, who have been excellent this year I must say, they ask a lot of questions of you, to come here and have the setback late on to get the winner, it was a magnificent performance.
“Michael’s [Carrick] come in, he’s been brilliant with us, he’s brought a fresh energy in, the group’s really galvanised.
“Two tough games, everybody’s probably thinks we come away from them with not many points but to win both is magnificent.”
Carrick tried to play down his impact, though, adding: “It’s only been 10 days, we know it’s not going to be perfect.
“We’re just starting, and it’s a good starting point, but we need to start putting some layers on top, and we’ll try to do that in the coming weeks.”
Cunha says Man Utd ‘more together’ under Carrick
Cunha also spoke about Carrick’s impact at the club since taking charge.
He told BBC’s Match of the Day: “He knows the feeling, he played here so many years.
“He knows the feeling for Manchester, he knows the feeling for United.
“Also, he knows how the fans want to feel.
“He tried to show us every single moment, he tried to talk us to understand in moments and say ‘everyone is against us’, so I think we feel more together.
“I think we showed character and power in the group.
“We know what to expect, come here, I think it’s the best team in the world today, honestly.
“They [Arsenal] play with Mikel [Arteta] so long, they know every single tactics, every single thing that he feels, so we know how hard it will to be to come here, but we are United and everything we do is to win the games.”
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Three in a row for Carrick?
Carrick and Manchester United will now look forward to a clash with Fulham at Old Trafford next time out in the Premier League.
After kicking off his Manchester United tenure with wins over Arsenal and City, Carrick will be out to make it three in a row against Marco Silva’s men and bolster United’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League.
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