How Manchester United play: What can Michael Carrick build on, and what should he discard? - The Athletic

Manchester United secured a significant 2-0 victory over rivals Manchester City in interim manager Michael Carrick's first match in charge, following the dismissal of Ruben Amorim after 14 months. The win marked a dramatic shift in mood at Old Trafford, with United delivering a comprehensive performance that could have been more emphatic if not for multiple offside calls disallowing further goals. Defensively, United restricted City to just 0.47 expected goals, City's lowest such figure in a Premier League game since February 2021.

Amorim's tenure, which concluded with a record of 24 wins from 63 matches (38.1%), was characterized by turbulent periods and several notable but often fortuitous results, such as a 2-1 win at Liverpool earlier in the season. However, the team's form had shown improvement this season compared to their 15th-place finish in 2024-25, with a clear uptick in results during the late autumn, as illustrated by a 10-game rolling average for points per game.

This period of improved form, which included a seven-game run with four wins, two draws, and one defeat, earned Amorim the Premier League Manager of the Month award for October. Results declined again afterward, but mitigating factors were present, such as key injuries and player absences due to the Africa Cup of Nations, which forced tactical adaptations like using wing-back Patrick Dorgu as an inside forward in Amorim's preferred 3-4-2-1 system.