TOP DORGS BOSSED IT!

Carrick produces a derby masterclass to sink City... and put himself in frame for United role

- BY JEREMY CROSS

AS auditions go, Michael Carrick produced the perfect performance.

Whether he will be handed a permanent role at Manchester United come the summer remains to be seen.

But while Rome wasn't built in a day, leaving Manchester City's title hopes in possible ruins is not a bad way for Carrick to start laying new foundations for the crumbling giants he has taken control of.

United were given a script to stick to by Carrick - and they didn't fluff a single line.

By turning this into a demolition derby which left visitors City smashed to smithereens, Carrick has taken just one game to get the best display of the season from a team which, at times, has looked incapable of beating an egg.

In one fell swoop, the interim manager has turned United into a side resembling the sort Sir Alex Ferguson used to produce.

In the process Carrick has left the great Pep Guardiola and his men humiliated.

Rarely has there been an afternoon of more contrasting emotions for two managers.

One was having the fairytale start, while leaving his rival trapped in a living nightmare.