Michael Carrick Refuses to Panic as Manchester United Surrender Another Late Lead

Michael Carrick has refused to label Manchester United’s start to the Premier League season a bad one despite seeing his side surrender another late lead in Sunday’s dramatic 2–2 draw at Everton.

United looked set to leave Hill Dickinson Stadium with all three points after Benjamin Šeško restored their advantage in the 88th minute.

But Ainsley Maitland-Niles struck in the sixth minute of stoppage time, producing a superb finish to rescue a point for Everton and leave Carrick’s side with just four points from their opening three matches.

For Carrick, however, the result was more frustrating than alarming.

"“We haven't started the season that bad, to be honest. It could have been better, but we were that close to coming away with three points today.”"

The United boss believes his team are close to turning promising performances into results, even if the margins have repeatedly gone against them.

Carrick sees progress despite the points tally

On paper, United's opening record is hardly convincing.

They lost to newly promoted Hull City on the opening weekend, beat Ipswich Town 5–2 and then surrendered victory against Everton despite leading twice.

That leaves them with one win, one draw and one defeat from their first three league fixtures.

Yet Carrick believes the results do not tell the entire story.

United were in winning positions against Everton and had done enough to put themselves within touching distance of three points before Maitland-Niles' late intervention.

The manager's argument is therefore based on the performances and opportunities his team are creating rather than simply the number beside their points tally.

“There are little moments that we can deal with a bit better, but we'll be fine,” Carrick added.

That final sentence is perhaps the most important part of his assessment.

Carrick knows United cannot continue giving opponents opportunities to rescue matches from winning positions.

But he also believes the underlying level of the team is strong enough for the situation to be corrected.

Another late lapse leaves United searching for answers

The frustration comes from how often United have allowed matches to become unnecessarily difficult.

Against Everton, Bryan Mbeumo put United ahead before Tyrique George equalised in the 83rd minute.

Šeško appeared to have delivered the decisive response just five minutes later, only for Maitland-Niles to produce an extraordinary equaliser deep into stoppage time.

It was United's third consecutive league match in which they conceded twice.

That statistic is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

Carrick may believe his team are close, but the defensive side of their game is giving opponents too many opportunities to punish them.

And with Manchester City next, that weakness could become even more costly.

The Manchester derby arrives at the worst possible time

United's next Premier League fixture is against Manchester City, who have won all three of their opening matches.

That gives Carrick very little room for another defensive collapse.

City represent a completely different level of test from the newly promoted sides United have already faced this season, meaning the derby could provide the clearest indication yet of how far Carrick's side have progressed.

United's attacking quality has been encouraging, particularly with Marcus Rashford looking dangerous against Everton before being withdrawn after feeling something.

But turning promising spells into complete performances remains the challenge.

Carrick refuses to hide behind disappointment

Despite his positive assessment of the start, Carrick did not pretend the Everton result was acceptable.

He admitted the draw “feels like a defeat”, particularly because United had twice been in positions to win the match late on.

That balance is important.

Carrick is not claiming everything is perfect.

He is arguing that United's problems are correctable.

The manager's belief is that the team are producing enough to have more points than they currently possess — but must become better at managing the decisive moments.

That is where the next stage of Carrick's project will be judged.

United have little time to prove him right

Four points from nine is not the start Manchester United supporters expected.

But Carrick's argument is straightforward: the season has not been lost, and the team have shown enough to suggest better results are within reach.

The problem is that football does not reward teams for being close.

United were close against Everton.

They were close to holding their lead.

And they were seconds away from leaving Merseyside with three points.

Instead, they left with one.

Carrick believes the solution lies in improving the small moments rather than ripping everything apart.

The Manchester derby will now provide the perfect test of whether that confidence is justified.