Carrick off to perfect start but trickier tests lie ahead

Michael Carrick could hardly have dreamt of a better start to his second spell as Manchester United’s interim manager, but he has passed his first tests with flying colours.

- CHRIS WILSON

While a derby day win over Manchester City last week left United fans on cloud nine, the club’s 3-2 win over Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday is an even more impressive result, the visitors stunning the league leaders as their fans delighted in a professional, inventive and at times brilliant performance.

Not even the most diehard fan would have predicted these wins in the opening two games of Carrick's second tenure, but United delivered in style at the Emirates, with recent signings Bryan Mbeumo, Patrick Dorgu and Matheus Cunha scoring the goals in a deserved win.

And while United's goals came about via both luck and two superb strikes from Dorgu and Cunha, it was a match that reflects extremely positively on Carrick.

United are not “back” by any means but this was an away performance that offered plenty of hope, with discipline, energy, desire, invention and even some of the same swagger that the United teams of old once took to the league's biggest away grounds.