Michael Carrick frustrated after first defeat as Manchester United manager
By Joel Masibo, March 5, 2026Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has expressed deep frustration after his side suffered their first defeat under his leadership on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, but insists the team must quickly regroup and shift focus to the next fixture.
United were beaten 2-1 late by Newcastle United at St James’ Park, where a dramatic finish saw the hosts snatch victory despite playing with 10 men.
The decisive moment came in stoppage time when Will Osula curled home a brilliant strike to seal the win for the Magpies. The match had earlier produced chaos toward the end of the first half. Jacob Ramsey was dismissed, leaving Newcastle a man short, but the hosts had already gone ahead through a penalty converted by Anthony Gordon.
United responded before the break when Casemiro headed in the equaliser. Despite having the numerical advantage after halftime, United were unable to fully capitalise. They created a few opportunities and forced saves from goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, but the visitors lacked the cutting edge needed to finish the contest before Osula delivered the late blow.
Speaking after the game, Carrick admitted the performance fell short of expectations.
United failed to capitalise
“Yeah, we’re not happy [with] the way we played the game tonight. The way the game panned out, I think we had it in our hands largely, but credit to Newcastle. I thought the way they approached the game – I thought we knew it was going to be a tough game here, but we navigated the game to be in a position where we felt we should kick on, and we didn’t really. So yeah, bitterly disappointed,” he said.
Carrick emphasised that the result should not be interpreted as a lack of commitment from his players. “It was just the quality and the performance; it wasn’t character or wanting to win or anything like that. It’s easy to throw that in, just because you don’t win a game of football. Credit to Newcastle; they deserve to win tonight, so it hurts me to say that, but that’s how it was, and we need to get back to working and be better for the next game. There are lessons in it, and we need to learn together as a group. We’ve got time to look at it and improve,” Carrick added.
Still strong
Despite the disappointment, Carrick noted that the defeat does not drastically alter United’s position in the bigger picture. “We’ve lost one game, alright? So, we haven’t played well enough, but, in the grand scheme of things, we’re in a decent position, you know? So, tonight hurts because we don’t like losing games, but we’ll be better for the next one.”
The former Manchester United midfielder also stressed the importance of returning to the habits that had previously delivered positive results.
“So, you’ve got to get back at it and work hard and do the things that we did to win the games we’ve won, you know, and we can do that. We’re a good team. We’ve got good players. Tonight wasn’t for us.”
Manchester United will host Aston Villa on Sunday, March 15, 2026 in another eagerly-anticipated clash with the Champions League slots up for grabs.