Carrick under pressure as Manchester United held 1-1 by Spurs
October 10, 2026 23:31
Manchester United were held 1-1 by Tottenham at Old Trafford after Dominic Solanke scored a late equaliser. Spurs had been reduced to 10 men when Rodrigo Bentancur received a red card for a headfirst charge at Luke Shaw shortly after Bryan Mbeumo's opener. Centre-back Lisandro Martinez was outmuscled for the stoppage-time goal and goalkeeper Senne Lammens failed to read Solanke's touch that crept in at the far corner.
WHY IT MATTERS NOW
The draw left United with six points from their opening six Premier League matches — their fewest at this stage of a league campaign since 1986-87, when they had four under Sir Alex Ferguson. United have failed to win five of their six league fixtures this season (D3 L2) and are winless in four league games.
Pressure on manager Michael Carrick, who has repeatedly been publicly backed by club officials, increased after the result. Former United captain Gary Neville described it as "a worrying day for Michael Carrick" on Sky Sports. Carrick himself said: "I'm not happy with the amount of points we've got so far, for sure, you know. I'm not hiding, there's no hiding from that." He added: "We've got to be a little bit more streetwise in moments, a little bit more stubborn and a little bit stronger in seeing out certain things." and: "It doesn't change my belief or the confidence in the players, you know. We're a really good team and capable of being a really good team, but we've obviously got to start getting more points on the board, that's for sure."
CONTEXT
This is the second successive home Premier League game in which United have failed to beat opponents reduced to 10 men. Recent late concessions include Ainsley Maitland-Niles' injury-time equaliser for Everton on 6 September and a Martinez own goal that almost gave Fulham victory before the international break. Four weeks earlier, Manchester City had benefited from an incorrect VAR decision after Phil Foden was shown a red card in the 23rd minute.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
United travel to Leeds for a Premier League match at Elland Road on Sunday, 18 October. Either side of that fixture they have Champions League trips to Atletico Madrid and Como.