Michael Carrick Urges Manchester United Players to Stay Grounded After Arsenal Victory

Michael Carrick has delivered a clear and measured message to his Manchester United squad, urging them to remain humble and focused following a dramatic victory over Premier League leaders Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

United backed up their derby-day success by defeating Mikel Arteta’s side, with Matheus Cunha’s late strike sealing an impressive win in north London. The result means Carrick has now guided the club to victories over the Premier League’s top two teams in his opening matches as head coach, lifting United into fourth place with 15 games remaining.

Despite the remarkable turnaround, the 44-year-old is determined not to let optimism turn into complacency. Carrick, who replaced Ruben Amorim earlier this month, has made an immediate impact after a difficult December, but he insists that perspective and discipline must remain at the heart of United’s progress.

While the away end celebrated a result that dented Arsenal’s title ambitions, Carrick made it clear that his focus lies firmly within the dressing room rather than on external statements or league narratives.

“I think it’s more about the feeling it gives us as a group,” Carrick said. “The players and the supporters as well. My concern is how that brings us together and lifts us in a positive way.

“I’m not getting carried away. Every next game is the biggest game, so we have to keep improving. There are really important challenges ahead of us.”

Carrick also stressed the importance of understanding how the results were achieved, rather than becoming distracted by the emotion surrounding them.

“There’s a lot of energy and confidence you can take from these performances,” he added. “But we have to stay humble and understand why we’ve been able to get these results. That’s crucial moving forward.”

United supporters were heard chanting ‘we’re going to win the league’ as they exited the Emirates, but Carrick remained unfazed when asked about the reaction. Instead, he reiterated his commitment to a short-term, process-driven approach, with attention already turning to next week’s fixture against Fulham.

“From our perspective, it’s just about moving on to the next game,” he said. “We’ve been together for less than two weeks, so it’s about building good habits and routines. The players have been excellent in that respect.

“We can’t afford to look too far ahead. We’ll finish where we finish based on the results we earn. Taking it week by week and game by game is the only way.”

Carrick concluded by acknowledging the emotional momentum generated by recent victories, while reinforcing the need for consistency and humility.

“You have to ride the emotion and use the confidence it gives you,” he said. “But it doesn’t come easy. We need to understand that, bottle it, and use it again.”