Carrick Left Fuming as Manchester United Throw Away Late Lead in Everton Draw
Michael Carrick cut a frustrated figure at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday after his Manchester United side let a late lead slip in a dramatic 2-2 draw with Everton, a result the manager admitted felt every bit like a defeat.
How It Unfolded
United looked to have secured a hard-fought win when Benjamin Šeško rose to head home in the 88th minute, restoring their advantage after Bryan Mbeumo’s early second-half strike had been cancelled out by Tyrique George. But Everton weren’t finished. On his debut for the club, Ainsley Maitland-Niles produced a stunning long-range curler in the sixth minute of stoppage time to snatch a dramatic point and send Hill Dickinson Stadium into bedlam.
It was a gut-punch finish to a game United had, for long spells, controlled.
Carrick’s Reaction
Speaking after the final whistle, Carrick didn’t hide his disappointment, framing the result in the starkest possible terms. “All the work that went into putting us in that position at different stages to then come away like that leaves us disappointed… it is not a great feeling, so it feels like a defeat,” Carrick said.
The United boss was clear that his issue wasn’t with the overall performance, but with game management in the closing stages. He said his team deserved to win but their inability to see out the game cost them, telling reporters: “There’s no hiding the fact that we feel like we should have won today. A little bit on us, to be fair, not seeing out the game well enough.”
It wasn’t a wholesale takedown of his players — Carrick was also keen to point out the positives, noting there was a lot of good in the performance and that his side had played well and looked dangerous at times. But the underlying message was unmistakable: United had the game won and gave it away through carelessness in the final minutes.
A Damaging Pattern
This wasn’t a one-off. It’s the second time this season United have been pegged back after leading, and the concession fits a wider theme — a team capable of scoring freely but repeatedly undone by lapses at the back. The draw leaves Carrick with four points from a possible nine after three Premier League games, having lost to Hull City in Week 1 before beating Ipswich Town and now drawing at Everton.
Despite the underwhelming return, Carrick has resisted publicly panicking about the start, insisting United’s results shouldn’t be read as a poor opening to the campaign given the circumstances — two matches against promoted sides and an Everton team many had expected to be there for the taking after a difficult transfer window.
What’s Next
The timing of this dropped-points frustration is awkward. United now turn to preparations for a Week 4 derby against Manchester City, who have already racked up seven goals in their opening fixtures and will arrive at Old Trafford full of confidence following their own midweek European commitments. Questions over United’s defensive resilience — already a live issue after the club’s failure to reinforce the back line over the summer — will only intensify if similar lapses resurface against a City side in ruthless early-season form.
For Carrick, the challenge now is turning Sunday’s frustration into a lesson rather than a repeated failing. Two blown leads in three games is a pattern his side can ill afford to continue against the level of opposition waiting for them next.