Carrick's reaction says it all as Como hammering leaves job hanging by a thread

Michael Carrick apologised to Manchester United's sodden supporters and coldly ignored his players after their woeful 4-1 defeat against Como. The hammering has left Carrick's job hanging by a thread, as United fans call for him to be sacked.

And of the 700 who'd made the journey to Como, where it was lashing down with rain, most had already left the open-ended away section by the time the final whistle sounded. After shaking hands with Cesc Fabregas, Carrick marched straight over to the 100 or so supporters who remained.

The beleaguered boss put one hand on his chest and raised both of his arms by way of apology before walking past his players and going down the tunnel. United have won just two of their 11 games in all competitions this season and Wednesday's performance against Como was arguably their worst of what's been a sorry campaign.

Post-match, Carrick told TNT Sports: "It was more than disappointing. I think everybody has got to take responsibility for that. I 100 per cent take responsibility for the overall team and the performance - that's where it stops.

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"It stops with me and I'm absolutely fine with that. I accept that totally. But as a supporter of this football club for so long, to see a performance like that is unacceptable, I have to say."

"I care an unbelievable amount about the supporters. They are the heartbeat of this football club and they always will be. For them to travel, I had to apologise for the performance. To have to watch a performance like that, I totally feel for them. There are no excuses at all. It is not acceptable."

Carrick added on the topic on his future: "It's not about me. It's about digesting the game and how it went. That is the most important thing right now."

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United captain Bruno Fernandes, who was subbed off after a poor display, suggested that Carrick and his staff got their tactics wrong. "It's a decision from the staff to not press man to man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball, wait for them, but sometimes when you give space to these teams they get confidence," Fernandes explained.

"That's on the manager and staff to see, not me. Sometimes you have to be more brave under pressure, take the risk of pressing high and making them uncomfortable. As you saw with them [Como], the centre-back was coming to mark me in my own half. We need to do that as a team but we were unable to.

"A team that plays through the middle with small connections, if you give them too much time and space then they can hurt you out wide."

Carrick responded to Fernandes' comments in his press conference, saying: "We actually half-pressed man-to-man the second half and then conceded a goal from that. And there's a little bit on whatever system you play, whatever tactics you play, if you don't run, and you don't run forward, and you don't run back, you ain't going to win."

The 45-year-old went on to say: "We might win, we might lose, but the way we went about it tonight, I wouldn't say everyone, but the way we went about it in some ways tonight wasn't acceptable. And I just wanted to let the fans know that I feel for them, for sure.

"It wasn't just the goals, if I'm totally honest. It was the manner and the way we played at times, in the way we went about it, that was the difficult thing to watch for me.

"It's not about playing for me, it's about playing for this football club," he said. "It's the responsibility that comes with being in the position; I'm responsible for the football club and the supporters. I'm giving my best, absolute best all the time, I care about it. My whole life's wrapped around it. I genuinely give everything that I possibly can."

When asked if his players were doing the same, Carrick replied: "I'd like to think so. I didn't like what I saw tonight, though."