Manchester United’s stunning 5-2 victory over Ipswich Town cannot allow Michael Carrick to be complacent over a key issue that must be fixed in the ...
Manchester United’s stunning 5-2 victory over Ipswich Town cannot allow Michael Carrick to be complacent over a key issue that must be fixed in the short term.
Michael Carrick ensured that he was not left red-faced any further at the weekend after Manchester United mounted a comeback against Ipswich Town at home.
Bruno Fernandes played an influential role in Sunday’s clash at Old Trafford after his sensational hat-trick was a crucial part of the Red Devils’ first win of the season.
United manager Carrick will walk away from the 5-2 win with a sigh of relief, but his Red Devils record has presented a telling message for improvement that is needed.
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There is no denying that results went Michael Carrick’s way during his interim managerial reign and the Red Devils received a bounce after his return to the club.
However, Carrick’s January arrival at Old Trafford also came with Manchester United’s struggles to maintain a clean sheet under his tenure at the Red Devils.
Man Utd’s 5-2 win over Ipswich Town marked the 19th Premier League match that Carrick has overseen, both as interim head coach and the permanent manager.
It equally marked the 12th Premier League fixture where Carrick was unable to walk away with a clean sheet, despite Man Utd coming on top at Old Trafford.
Carrick has overseen 13 wins, two draws and three losses at United since January, but the Red Devils legend has watched his side concede 16 times under his reign.
Senne Lammens has started in all 19 Premier League matches under Carrick and the Red Devils’ vulnerability in defence has left the Man Utd No 1 exposed at times.
United have not had a single clean sheet in the 2026-27 campaign and have conceded four times against two newly promoted Premier League teams.
The Red Devils kept all seven of their Premier League clean sheets under Carrick in the 2025-26 season, despite conceding 16 times in the process under the United boss.
It was incredibly important for the Red Devils to chalk up all three Premier League points on Sunday and United showed the hunger to bounce back from their setback.
But Carrick does need to head back to the drawing board to find a solution for United’s clean-sheet problem before the ongoing issue hinders his side’s season.
Senne Lammens continues to be a strong presence between the sticks, but Man Utd’s fragile defence is letting the Red Devils down with their clean-sheet record.
