Follow Us on Google
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has praised his players for their resilience after they recovered from a two-goal deficit to defeat Roma in the Champions League at Old Trafford.
United went into the encounter under pressure after failing to win their previous nine matches in all competitions. Their difficult run appeared set to continue when Roma established a 2-0 lead.
However, Bruno Fernandes converted a retaken penalty to reduce the deficit before Matheus Cunha scored twice to complete the turnaround.
Speaking to UEFA after the match, Carrick described the contest as a difficult one, acknowledging the quality of the Italian side.
“It was a challenging game,” he said.
The United manager explained that his team had started reasonably well but lost control after conceding, with the players showing signs of anxiety because of their recent results.
“I think we started OK in the game; we knew it was going to be tough – they’ve only had one defeat all season. They’re a very, very good team.
“So we talked about what we wanted to do in the game; we started OK, and then the goal came from nowhere. We caused ourselves a few issues. In some ways, understandable with the run we’ve been on, a little bit anxious and a few nerves at times,” Carrick said.
He said the team began to improve towards the end of the first half and used the interval to encourage the players to remain positive.
Carrick added that he reminded them of the possibility of turning the game around, drawing on his experience of watching similar comebacks at Old Trafford.
“Then I thought we grew into the game a bit at the end of the first half, and I spoke at half-time about being positive. Anything can happen here; I’ve seen it many times over the years. You just need something to go our way, and the boys were fantastic in the second half,” he said.
The manager praised the players for maintaining their effort after falling behind, saying they refused to lose belief and eventually earned the result.
“They kept going, didn’t get disappointed, and got exactly what they deserved in the end,” Carrick added.
