Carrick addresses Man Utd boos amid fan backlash and addresses new 'reality'

Michael Carrick concedes he understands the boos from the Old Trafford crowd, but they still hurt after seeing his Manchester United side drop more points.

The Red Devils conceded in stoppage time to Tottenham, who had dominated for the majority of the game. Bryan Mbeumo scored the game's opening goal on 70 minutes, but only after the north Londoners, without a win in the Premier League, had outclassed the hosts.

They missed chance after chance, but finally found the net on 92 minutes courtesy of a Dominic Solanke header. United were booed off at half-time, and again at the final whistle.

That frustration is not lost on Carrick, who is already feeling the pressure in what is his first season at the helm. The ex-player had an impressive interim spell last term and landed the job permanently, but has presided over United's worst start to a season since 1986.

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Addressing the boos he told BBC's Match of the Day: "It's not nice, it hurts a lot because I care about this club. But I understand the disappointment, the reality is what it is, we need to get back to winning games."

United have continued to let leads slip during games, Saturday being yet another example, with Carrick's poor run of results coming despite a generous fixture list.

The Red Devils boss said on another lacklustre showing: "I don't think it is lack of confidence, but a game can get away from you very quickly. We found a way right back into the game, and got ourselves in a great position - that is one of the most disappointing things.

"It was a mixed game. We found it tough to start with. For a number of reasons, we were not quite there. You could see it was a challenging time.

"But the lads grew into the game, in the second half I thought we were better in everything. To get the game as we wanted it, in such a good position - we should see it through. We have to manage those situations. That's two late goals which have hurt us, and things look very different. That's the reality."

United have only won the once this season, against newly promoted Ipswich, as they remain in the bottom half of the table. Their next assignment sees them head to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League before returning to domestic action against rivals Leeds at Elland Road.