Manchester United manager Michael Carrick says his side must respond quickly after conceding a stoppage-time equaliser in a disappointing draw with Everton.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles scored late for Everton to deny United all three points at a match in which Carrick’s team had twice put themselves in a position to win. The result leaves Manchester United 11th in the table and increases the pressure on them to improve over the next week.
United now turn their attention to a Champions League fixture against Sabah on Thursday before facing Manchester City in the Manchester derby on Sunday. Carrick acknowledged that both matches will present very different challenges as his team attempt to recover from the Everton result.
“We’re disappointed right now. We came here to win and put ourselves in the position twice to do that. I knew that it was going to be one of those games that goes to the end, that’s how it’s been most of the times when I’ve played here.”
Carrick said his players would have to reset immediately, with the European match followed by one of the biggest fixtures of the season.
“It will be a totally different game on Thursday and then a totally different game next Sunday.
“I thought there was a lot of good things today that we can move forward. There was good things from Hull that we took, good things fromIpswich, and there's good things today. There’s also things that we need to improve on, it’s ongoing work. We will get ready for Thursday.”
United had named the same starting XI that produced an emphatic 5-2 victory over Ipswich last Sunday. However, they were unable to reproduce that level of performance against Everton and ultimately had to settle for a point after losing their lead in the closing stages.
The late equaliser represented another setback for Carrick’s side, who have now dropped valuable points despite twice being in front. Their position in 11th underlines the need for a stronger run of results, particularly with the Champions League and derby fixtures arriving in quick succession.
A victory against Sabah would give United an opportunity to rebuild confidence before the meeting with Manchester City. Carrick’s team will need to show a different level of performance in both matches if they are to respond positively to the Everton draw, with Sunday’s derby expected to provide their toughest test yet.
For now, Carrick’s focus is on preparing his players for Thursday’s Champions League encounter. The manager believes there were positive elements in the performances against Hull, Ipswich and Everton, but also accepts that United must address the weaknesses that allowed another favourable result to slip away.