Carrick’s perfect start lifts Manchester United into Champions League race as Arsenal surge nine points clear
Manchester United’s season is back on the rails. Four straight Premier League wins under Michael Carrick, capped by a composed 2-0 defeat of 10-man Tottenham on Saturday, have turned a campaign that looked rudderless weeks ago into one with a credible route back to the Champions League.
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United’s victory maintained Carrick’s 100% start as head coach and pushed the 20-time English champion up to 44 points — already exceeding last season’s total haul of 42. In a year without domestic cup distractions, clarity of purpose in the league now feels tangible at Old Trafford.
“Michael has won everything here and he knows what it means for these fans, what it means for the club to win,” captain Bruno Fernandes told TNT Sports. “I think that adds something special to the team.”
Tottenham’s task grew steeper when Cristian Romero was sent off in the 29th minute. United struck in each half, and Fernandes sealed it with a controlled finish off his shin in the 81st — a moment that also marked his 200th goal involvement since joining the club in 2020. The performance didn’t throb with spectacle, but it did with assurance: better structure out of possession, a calmer midfield, and a front line taking higher-percentage chances.
Carrick’s influence has been swift since he replaced the fired Ruben Amorim last month. Initially appointed on a deal through the end of the season — following his three-game interim spell in 2021 — he has quickly sharpened United’s edges without overcomplicating what was previously muddled. “I think Michael came in with the right ideas of giving the players the responsibility,” Fernandes said. “He’s very good with the words.”
United has missed the Champions League for two straight years. Securing a top-four place would reframe this transition season as a success and, increasingly, strengthen the argument that the club already has the right man in the dugout for the long term.
While the Champions League race tightens, the title picture stretched. Arsenal powered nine points clear at the top with a 3-0 win against Sunderland, a result underpinned by depth and decisiveness. Martin Zubimendi opened the scoring in the first half — his sixth of the season — and Viktor Gyokeres came off the bench to add two more, making it 13 for the campaign and extending his run to six in eight games.
The striker’s upturn follows a stuttering start after his summer move from Sporting Lisbon, when doubts lingered over whether his prolific Portuguese numbers would translate to England. “He’s very demanding of himself, he’s constantly trying to improve,” manager Mikel Arteta said. “When you feel confident, when you feel important, when you feel at your best, that’s when you can really take your game to the highest level.”
Arsenal have benefited from rivals blinking. A bookmaker said it was paying out on the Gunners being crowned champions for the first time since 2004, though Arteta dismissed the notion that a cushion equates to comfort. “Nothing,” he said of the significance of the lead. “We still have to win so many games to achieve what we want.”
Second-place Manchester City visit Liverpool on Sunday in a meeting freighted with consequence after City won just one of their last six league games. Aston Villa, sitting third, slipped further back after a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth, failing to build on Morgan Rogers’ opener as the hosts leveled after halftime.
Elsewhere, Cole Palmer’s star kept rising. The England international delivered a first-half hat trick, including two penalties, in Chelsea’s 3-1 win at last-place Wolves to keep the Blues in the European conversation.
At the foot of the table, the math narrowed and the mood brightened in east London. Three wins in four have put West Ham’s survival push within touching distance of safety after a controlled 2-0 victory at Burnley. Nottingham Forest’s defeat to Leeds on Friday further compressed the fight. As it stands, West Ham sit three points behind their nearest rival and within six of Tottenham, a reminder that a mini-run can still reshape the bottom third of the table.
Newcastle’s slide deepened with a 3-2 home loss to Brentford — one win in eight in all competitions now for Eddie Howe’s team — decided late when Dango Ouattara struck in the 85th minute, just six minutes after Bruno Guimaraes had equalized from the spot. Everton, meanwhile, came from behind to win 2-1 at Fulham, a result that buys time and belief in their own scramble for daylight.
The league’s balance of power hasn’t been this malleable in years. Arsenal’s form suggests a champion’s rhythm, but City’s ceiling still looms, and Liverpool at Anfield remains the league’s hardest ask. Villa are sturdy, if less free-flowing, and Chelsea’s young core is coalescing around the reliable goals of Palmer. Beneath them, United’s revival under Carrick is the weekend’s most consequential development: confidence restored, identity clarified, stakes rising.
What comes next will be defined by small margins — discipline in the duels, control in midfield, finishing touch in the box — and by whether United can keep transforming cautious optimism into points. Four wins to steady the ship. The real test, as ever, is staying the course.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
