Manchester United ended a 54-day wait for a victory with a dramatic 3-2 Champions League comeback against Roma at Old Trafford, a result Michael Carrick described as an "important night" for the club.
United trailed 2-0 after 17 minutes and appeared headed for a 10th consecutive game without a win, with Carrick's position under threat ahead of the international break. A Bruno Fernandes penalty shortly before the hour mark brought the home side back into the contest, and Matheus Cunha scored twice in the final seven minutes to complete the turnaround.
Carrick's reaction to the comeback
Despite the significance of the result, Carrick said he is not getting carried away. "I'm not getting too carried away with things," he said. "I think it's an important night. I think it's important for some of the players to have the feeling that they maybe haven't had here before."
He added: "I think it's important for them to know what that means and how it feels. It's pretty obvious to say, but until you've really gone through it and felt it, and had to dig deep and come out the other side, sometimes you don't know what it's like. But we've got to take stock, we've got to stay calm and prepare and be ready for another big game on the weekend."
A difficult season at Old Trafford
The win came after a difficult period for Carrick, including the previous home match when players were booed off following a 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth. He spoke of his pride in the victory. "Proud of a lot of people, actually," he said. "Proud of the players. I think they deserve a lot of credit for pulling through that in a tough situation. And for the supporters, to be there. I could feel they were desperate for us to give them something so they could get their teeth into."
Looking ahead to Aston Villa
Carrick now faces a Premier League clash with Aston Villa this weekend. Asked whether the win would help him sleep easier, the 45-year-old said: "Genuinely, no. I don't, really. I don't. Whether that's right or wrong, or normal or not, I don't know, but I didn't feel relief."
"It was more I was genuinely pleased for the players. I know how much they care, I know what they're giving. Sometimes it looks like that, sometimes it doesn't, sometimes we play well, we haven't, and I understand that," he added.
"But I could feel their willingness to do well, and so for them to have to dig really deep, and just for everybody. I feel the responsibility of that, so to see everybody having that feeling that we all crave, and that's why we're all here. I really 100% wasn't thinking about me at that moment, it was just more seeing everybody and the feeling that we can generate when we do things right."
