Man United 1-1 Tottenham: Michael Carrick achieves 40-year worst as Premier League woes lead to early sack calls

By Lewis Nolan | 10 Oct 2026 23:33

Carrick achieves 40-year worst as United draw leads to early sack calls

Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur has condemned them to their worst start to a league season in 40 years.

The Red Devils needlessly squandered more points on Saturday, settling for a Premier League stalemate with Spurs, who were reduced to 10 men in the 78th minute.

Michael Carrick's side were also leading when their opponents had Rodrigo Bentancur dismissed, and the manager will be immensely disappointed that his team failed to win for the fifth time in their six League fixtures.

The club have only accumulated six points this term, and they currently find themselves in 12th place, just three points above the bottom three.

Data from Squawka reveals that United's start to the 2026-27 Premier League represents their worst ever return after six games of a season since 1986.

Man United 1-1 Tottenham: What went wrong for Michael Carrick against Spurs?

Tottenham were routinely able to threaten United's backline, often bypassing the hosts' pressing unit, and fans at Old Trafford were rightly alarmed.

The likes of Youri Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo are not at their best when asked to cover large distances, and the duo were frequently outclassed on Saturday.

There is also a wider physical issue throughout the squad, with stars such as Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes struggling with the pace of play.

The failure to address issues in the team, either on the training pitch or in the transfer market, has no doubt contributed to the side's poor displays.

Michael Carrick sack news: Manchester United boss under pressure

Despite the fact there are still 32 games left to play in the Premier League, Carrick must be under pressure from all those at Old Trafford.

He has often dismissed suggestions that his team are less combative than other sides in the division, but United have far too often struggled without the ball.

The head coach deserves a chance to turn the Red Devils' fortunes around, and hopefully newcomer Carlos Baleba will alleviate some of the club's physicality problems, though anything other than a swift uptick in form will force United's hierarchy to assess his future.