Ranking Man Utd’s First Four Wins Under Michael Carrick

Old Trafford’s gloom has lifted. Four games, four victories, and suddenly the talk is of Champions League places rather than crisis meetings. Interim manager Michael Carrick, asked to steady the ship after Ruben Amorim’s January exit, has not merely steadied it—he has sent it surging up the table with a run that already eclipses his predecessor’s best streak of three straight wins. Here, Sports Illustrated assesses each triumph, weighing performance, context and sheer spectacle.

4. Tottenham Hotspur 0–2 Manchester United The most recent outing felt almost routine. Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes struck either side of Cristian Romero’s red card, and Spurs, labouring under Thomas Frank, never looked like derailing the newfound momentum. The victory carried the added spice of Europa League final revenge, yet anything less than three points would have registered as failure—a measure of how quickly expectations have recalibrated.

3. Manchester United 3–2 Fulham A script Sir Alex Ferguson would have approved. Two goals ahead and seemingly home dry, United wobbled as Fulham levelled in the 88th minute. Enter Benjamin Šeško, darting onto Fernandes’ clipped cross to rifle home with the last kick. Carrick’s refusal to accept a draw, drilled into these players over barely a month, evoked memories of Fergie Time. The win kept the bandwagon rolling and underlined a mental fortitude absent for far too long.

2. Manchester United 2–0 Manchester City Carrick’s first game set the bar almost unfairly high. A derby clean sheet, Kobbie Mainoo restored to the XI, and Old Trafford roaring as Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu found the net. After three consecutive draws had sucked hope from the season, this was a statement that resonated way beyond the city limits. Formation tweaked, belief restored, the tone was set.

1. Arsenal 2–3 Manchester United The pinnacle, and not purely for the identity of the opposition. Lisandro Martínez’s early own goal could have capsized a fragile side; instead United responded with swagger. Mbeumo’s finish and Dorgu’s sumptuous half-volley flipped the match on its head, and even Mikel Merino’s 84th-minute equaliser could not derail them. Matheus Cunha’s solo burst three minutes later sealed a win United had not managed in the league at Arsenal since September 2022. Against the league leaders, away from home, it was the clearest evidence yet that Carrick’s short reign has already redrawn the psychological map.

Four fixtures, four different tests, one unmistakable conclusion: the Theatre of Dreams is dreaming again.