Carrick disputes red card after Manchester United defeat

“It’s not a red card, and it had a big impact,” Michael Carrick said after Manchester United’s defeat to Atlético de Madrid at the Metropolitano. The manager disputed the decision and questioned why the referee had been asked to review it on video. In his view, the contact was slight and the player was moving slowly. He also acknowledged that his team had started poorly and that the dismissal had a significant effect in the second half.

Carrick felt Manchester United had created chances, including an opportunity to make it 1-1, but failed to score. He noted that Atlético reached the semi-finals last season and said that chasing the game made the task harder. He nevertheless argued that his side had created more chances than many teams against a high-calibre opponent.

The manager rejected the idea that individual confidence was the problem: his players, he said, have quality, but the team did not make enough of its opportunities. He also accepted that it needed to defend better, while judging that it had read the game more effectively after the first goal.

Disappointed by the defeat, Carrick urged his squad to focus on Sunday and keep working. He said he did not doubt the players’ desire to do things well, while acknowledging that the results show something is not working as it should.