Carrick 'Not Bothered' By Current Form... Erm, You Probably Should Be Mate

Carrick Stoic Amidst Poor United Start

Back in 1976, the media tycoon Apple had just been founded and the not-yet-legendary figure of Sir Alex Ferguson was still in his post at St Mirren the last time Manchester United lost a game at Old Trafford after being 2-0 ahead.

That is just how crushing the Red Devil's shock exit from the Carabao Cup third round against Brighton last night truly was.

Specifically, it was the 4th of September, 1976, when John Pratt lashed home a winner for Tottenham to mark the last time such an event had occurred. Since then, Ferguson took the reins at Old Trafford, shot them into the mega-stardom-status they hold today, and then left 27 years later as one of the most iconic gaffers in history.

Since he left, Manchester United have been through comedy after comedy, reflecting as a shell of the footballing titan they once were. They have won seven trophies in the 13 years since that day, but have not been crowned champions of England since. And last night, the 50-year record emblazed all over Sky Sports every time the club took a 2-0 lead at home was shattered too.

The first team in over 50 years to beat Manchester United at Old Trafford after being 2-0 down. 🤯

— Brighton & Hove Albion (@BHAFC) September 16, 2026

It came after a few protests were held both in and out of the ground before United lost the Manchester Derby (controversially) against their 10-man neighbours, and fresh outrage was there to be seen after last night's latest embarassment.

Shea Lacey lashed home a beauty for his first-ever Manchester United goal, before quickly being followed by a Mason Mount goal to take a standard-issue 2-0 lead. Up came the graphic proudly boasting that the Red Devils hadn't lost from this specific scenario in five decades, and so too came goals from Charalampos Kostoulas, Pascal Gross and Maxim de Cuyper to scythe down the lead and claim a shock comeback win.

A lot of fans had already made their leave as the players took part in a sombre lap of appreciation after the game, and those that stayed put booed to their hearts (and lungs) desire in the same chorus heard when their side fell behind with just 21 minutes left to play.

When the players got near the tunnel, supporters were seen exclaiming their dismay at manager Michael Carrick and his crop of players with some... colourfully expressed questions and worries.

This didn't seem to worry Carrick too much, but should he start to sweat over his sides' current run of shame?

Carrick: "We can turn it around"

"Of course we can turn it around, we have got some really good players," said Carrick. "It feels bad because we haven't had a great week or two, or three weeks."

Manchester United have picked up two wins from the first six games of Carrick's permanent tenure at his former club, once against newly promoted Ipswich Town after going behind in the game, and another a routine win against Azerbaijani side Sabah FK in the Champions League. They've lost three times, now, which is more losses than Carrick experienced in his 17-game interim stretch in replacement of Ruben Amorim - an amazing run of form that took United back to the Champions League and earned the former midfielder a permanent contract.

But Carrick is part of the fabric at Old Trafford from his illustrious playing days, and he will know only too well how much pressure a poor run of form can quickly bring on.

"I don't feel under pressure," he said. "Either way, that doesn't bother me one bit.

"I understand what goes on outside and how the world works, but it doesn't bother me. What bothers me is winning games, having a good feeling around the place and a good feeling around the group to know we're moving in a good direction."

Good direction, as it may have been claimed, certainly doesn't feel the 'vibe' around the club at the moment. It's safe to say, in fact, that there are very few positives to take from this latest mess at all.

An obvious one is Shea Lacey, who marked his first senior start with an excellent goal in the eighth minute of play, becoming the first teenager to score on his maiden United start since one Marcus Rashford in February 2016 - the same Rashford who missed a gruelling one-on-one with the chance to equalise later in the game.

A proud moment for Shea Lacey ⚽️❤️ pic.twitter.com/I9H9sFXWMz

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 17, 2026

Lacey was one of eight changes made by Carrick, but defensively those swaps certainly did not work.

Diogo Dalot was one of three players to keep their place from the derby-day defeat, which was his 250th appearance for the club. Suffice to say, he is distinctly average and his form has evaporated. Noussair Mazraoui is the back-up on the left, which is a personified reminder that the lack of spending in his area in the summer was always to be a worry.

Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven are fine young players, sure, but they showed their lack of experience. And the midfield department was as overrun as it was seemingly overhauled this summer with new signings Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos starting the game.

"The longer the game went, the more we had control," was the chosen analysis of Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler. "I thought we deserved to win."

A claim which was not argued against by Carrick at all.

'Being here toughens you up'

Carrick's main source of solumn was for young Lacey. The 19-year-old is revered in these parts for his ability and potential and should have gone home in celebration and adoration for his sparking moment in front of goal. Instead, he was part of a group scuttling away from a stadium drowned in boos and harsh criticism, though none of that would have been for him.

"It's a shame that Shea's moment, such a great moment for him, for his family, his friends and the whole academy... to have an academy player come in and have a moment like that gets a bit lost unfortunately," said Carrick.

"It won't for him when things settle down but, as we sit here now, it feels that it was a long time ago."

Carrick also addressed the ongoing fiasco surrounding wonderkid JJ Gabriel, who has requested to rip up his contract.

"He's a young boy, he's 15, and for me, definitely, and from a club point of view, looking after our younger players, their welfare, their wellbeing, their exposure... we've got to be really conscious of that in this situation," he explained.

But the harsh fact for any manager is that, ultimately, the only assessment of their working impact will come through points, goals and results.

Man Utd have lost a game when leading 2-0 at Old Trafford for the first time in over 50 years 🤯 pic.twitter.com/VM4jznODoF

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 16, 2026

"Being here toughens you up over a period of time," Carrick said. "It depends how you deal with it. You've got to deal with it in a way where you can cope with it and you can bring out the best in yourself. However you do that, with your motivation and the confidence deep within yourself to know we can win football matches.

"We've gone out of the cup tonight, and the feeling around the place feels bigger than that. I'm honest enough to say that's how it feels. But it doesn't have to be like that. If we win football matches again, it can go in a different direction."

Manchester United have one more game before the three-week international break, facing Fulham on Sunday. For the sake of his job and for the mentality around the club, Carrick's team need a win.

On Sky Sports, former England star Jamie Redknapp was not convinced that they will.

"Right now, they're miles off it," he said. "It doesn't matter how good the manager is, if you don't have the right players it makes it really difficult.

"There's a reason why the other managers have struggled. Sooner or later the pressure's always going to come on.

"This weekend becomes a huge game. He doesn't need another poor result, otherwise all of a sudden you're going into the international break and everyone's talking about you. The winners tonight are the players who didn't play."