Carrick takes personal blame after United squander two-goal lead to lose to Brighton

Michael Carrick shouldered personal responsibility for Manchester United’s Carabao Cup exit on Wednesday after his side surrendered a two-goal lead to lose to Brighton at Old Trafford, declining to blame the club’s hierarchy for handing him a squad that may be ill-equipped to meet internal expectations this season.

United were 2-0 up inside 10 minutes but collapsed to defeat in a result that raises fresh questions about Carrick’s long-term future at the club. Asked directly after the game whether he had been “sold short” by United’s transfer business, Carrick deflected any criticism away from chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox.

“No, no, listen. The team’s on me, so when we win, people say I’m doing a good job, and if we don’t win or we don’t get results, then a lot of it’s on me,” Carrick said. “So I accept that, I’m not hiding away from any of that. That is what it is.”

The result is a damaging one given the context surrounding United’s ambitions. Berrada had set a target of winning the Premier League title within two years, yet United spent just £155 million on first-team players this summer — only the tenth-highest outlay in the top flight. The summer overhaul was concentrated in midfield, leaving the squad thin in other areas.

Two of those new arrivals, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, both struggled in the defeat and will need time to adapt to Carrick’s system. The midfield rebuild, while necessary in the long term, appears to have created short-term vulnerabilities that Brighton were able to exploit ruthlessly once they found a foothold in the game.

For Carrick, the manner of the defeat — leading comfortably before capitulating — will be harder to explain than a straightforward loss. United’s inability to manage a game from a position of strength has been a recurring concern, and Wednesday’s collapse at Old Trafford will only intensify scrutiny on the manager heading into the coming weeks.