Carrick: I can feel the fans’ support and standing on the touchline brings a mix of emotions

Manchester United lost 3-0 at home to Bournemouth. Speaking to the British media after the match, Michael Carrick discussed his side’s performance, the three goals they conceded and his decision to leave Bruno Fernandes on the bench.

On the match

Carrick said: “It was a tough day. The lads all wanted to play well, but they found it difficult today. There were some nerves, some anxiety and a bit of hesitation. That made it a very difficult game. Conceding twice before half-time put us in a difficult position, so the next goal was always going to be hugely important. I could feel that the fans wanted to get behind us. Even at half-time, I could hear the noise from the stands and sense their desire to drive us forward. I spoke to the players about that at the break as well.

If we had scored at that point, it would have changed the whole complexion of the game, but we couldn’t. The third goal we conceded effectively put the game beyond us. I have mixed emotions. You can see the lads trying to do the right things, and you can also feel the emotion in the stadium. Standing on the touchline, I really did have very mixed feelings.”

On the goals conceded

Carrick said: “When Heaven was penalised for that challenge, he only got the ball and didn’t catch anyone, but the referee still awarded them a free-kick. That said, we should have defended the free-kick better. Yoro slipped, and he’s very disappointed about it. He’s still learning and made a mistake today. It won’t affect him—he’s a top player. For the third goal, the wind affected the flight of the ball, and it was also a great finish.”

On the decision to leave Bruno Fernandes on the bench

Carrick said: “He’s fit and available to play, but we decided to go with today’s lineup. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the result we wanted, which is disappointing for everyone. We wanted to get forward and create more chances. There were areas where we could have done better, but overall, we clearly didn’t do enough.”