Carrick Urges Calm After Man Utd's First Defeat At St James' Park

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Michael Carrick insisted Manchester United will respond calmly after a 2-1 defeat to 10-man Newcastle United, stressing that one poor performance will not trigger rash decisions, even though the loss at St James' Park marked Carrick's first setback since taking charge.

Carrick acknowledged the result felt painful yet argued the wider picture in the Premier League remains positive, while also accepting Newcastle United fully earned the three points by exploiting Manchester United's lack of control and sharpness across both halves.

The match swung Newcastle United's way in the 90th minute, when William Osula cut inside on the break and bent a precise shot past Andre Onana, completing a 2-1 victory despite Newcastle United playing with 10 players from first-half stoppage time.

Manchester United had earlier drawn level deep into time added on at the end of the first half, Casemiro turning home in the ninth additional minute after Anthony Gordon's penalty had given Newcastle United the lead following Jacob Ramsey's dismissal for two yellow cards, the second issued for simulation.

Across the full 90 minutes and stoppage time, Manchester United created fewer clear openings, losing the expected goals contest 1.28 to 2.22, and even after the red card the xG numbers favoured Newcastle United 0.97 to 0.65, reflecting how the hosts continued to generate the better chances.

Manchester United could register only two shots on target after the interval, both from substitutes, with Leny Yoro denied from close range and Joshua Zirkzee thwarted by Aaron Ramsdale, whose reflex saves maintained parity before Osula's late winner settled the contest.

Carrick's assessment of performance from Manchester United

Speaking to TNT Sports, Carrick accepted Newcastle United had executed their plan more effectively, while lamenting Manchester United's failure to impose control on a contest that seemed favourable once the hosts went down to 10 players in first-half stoppage time.

"We are not happy with the way we played tonight. The way the game panned out, it was largely in our hands. But credit to Newcastle. With the way they approached it, we knew it would be tough, and we navigated the game to a position where we could kick on, but we didn't. We're bitterly disappointed."

Premier League history offered little comfort to Manchester United, who have now lost two of their last three games when the opposition received a first-half red card, after previously putting together a run of 20 wins and three draws from 23 such league fixtures.

Carrick rejected the idea that facing 10 players should automatically transform the contest, stressing that Manchester United's own level dropped instead, and that the defeat owed more to technical imprecision than mentality or desire during key phases of play.

"I don't think it was the 10 men, we just didn't play well enough. We can't make excuses for that. We all take responsibility for that. It was just the quality of the performance, it wasn'ta lack of character or wanting to win. It's easy to throw that out there just because you didn't win a game of football. Newcastle deserved to win tonight, it hurts me to say that. That is how it was. We need to get back to work and be better for the next game."

Future schedule and wider context for Manchester United

Manchester United now have an 11-day break before visiting Aston Villa on March 15, with Carrick's side already out of the FA Cup and having missed a chance to strengthen their position in the race for a top-four place after defeat followed setbacks for both Unai Emery's team and Liverpool earlier in the round.

"We've lost one game," Carrick said. "We haven't played well enough but, in the grand scheme of things, we are in a decent position. Tonight hurts, but we will be better for the next one. You have to get back at it, work hard and do the things we did to win the games we've won. We can do that, we are a good team, tonight just wasn't for us. We have to learn from it. We've had a lot of praise lately and the boys deserve it; this doesn't change how we approach the next game. We've got everything to play for."

Carrick underlined that the setback against Newcastle United would be used as a reference point rather than a crisis, with the coaching staff and players aiming to correct the technical and tactical faults highlighted in this defeat as they prepare for the crucial meeting with Aston Villa on March 15.