Michael Carrick said it “hurt” to hear boos from the Old Trafford faithful after Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Tottenham to make this United’s worst start to a league campaign since 1986.
Five minutes after Byran Mbeumo put United ahead in a low-quality contest, Tottenham substitute Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off for shoving Luke Shaw.
However, rather than finish off Spurs, for a second successive home league match United dropped points to a side reduced to 10 men as Dominic Solanke got in front of Lisandro Martinez to head home in stoppage time.
United were fortunate Spurs did not capitalise on a number of early chances as they started poorly and although they improved, Mbeumo’s goal was only their second of four shots on target.
Carrick said he was “massively disappointed” with the result.
“We just couldn’t find a way to get ourselves in the game whether it was with the ball, without the ball, we were a bit off it,” he said. “Didn’t quite see the pass, didn’t quite see the space. Sometimes it happens…and it probably spread through the team.”
The home support made their feelings known, with frustration growing in the first half and the final whistle being greeted with more boos.
“When things aren’t quite going to plan, I understand the reaction at times,” Carrick added. “It hurts a lot. It is not nice to go through but sometimes you have to go through it.”
United have only six points from their six league games, the lowest return since they took four to being the 1986-87 campaign, but Carrick insisted it is not all doom and gloom.
“I am not happy with the amount of points, there is no hiding from that,” he said. “It could have been different but the reality is the reality, we’ve got to accept it. We need to put things in a positive direction quite quickly.
“We can do, we are more than capable of doing that. Just got to be a little bit more streetwise and a little bit more stubborn.”
While Carrick may not be happy with six points from six, Tottenham would love to swap places as this draw left them still in the relegation zone, still without a league win.
De Zerbi refused to condemn Bentancur for the headbutt and argued the incident gave his side a lift.
“I kissed Rodrigo and said thanks,” he said. “It is clear it is a mistake from Rodrigo, because it is not the right reaction in football, but now Tottenham needs to react.
“Sometimes the reaction are not nice, not positive for the team, but I think in that moment maybe with 10 players we played with more courage, we played with more energy and changed the game. For a long time Tottenham played without this blood, this character.
“Now I am am the coach and I want to see this character in every game.”
While the wait for a win goes on De Zerbi took the positives.
“Today has been the game where for the first time this season we showed we are a team,” he said. “We played for the team-mates, we played together, we believed until the end of the game.”
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