Manchester United latest: Michael Carrick on brink again as team fall apart at Chelsea after Lisandro Martinez red card

Manchester United are following the same pattern as most of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s sporting ventures, writes Lawrence Ostlere, a series of projects defined by acrimonious fallouts and mediocre results.

The Manchester United hierarchy refused to pull the trigger on replacing Michael Carrick following the defeat to Bournemouth last week.

Instead they stuck with him and now the team are hovering on the brink of the relegation zone.

Carrick expects to still be in charge for Tuesday’s visit from Roma in the Champions League and probably for the league match against Aston Villa on November 8.

After that there’s an international break befor United are due to take on Liverpool at Anfield.

Will Carrick be in charge for that game?

Chelsea eased to victory against Manchester United after Lisandro Martinez’s red card piled the pressure on Michael Carrick.

Watch as Michael Carrick receives the adulation of the Manchester United despite the club’s winless run extending.

The Manchester United boss spoke to MOTD. He said: “We were more in the game first half.

“Felt we should have been ahead. The game ended up getting away from us. The first goal is not a good goal to concede. After that, we never got the game to where we got in the first half.

“Not a good goal from our point of view at all.”

TNT Sports commentator and former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole touched on Michael Carrick’s fortunes following the result at Stamford Bridge.

“A penny for Michael Carrick’s thoughts,” Cole said. “He’s done everything right by his club.

“There must be anger and frustration running through his bones because he’s a Man United person.”

Michael Carrick denied he had been let down by Lisandro Martinez after the defender’s red card changed the game in their 2-0 defeat at Chelsea.

The centre-back was booked twice in two minutes and conceded a second-half penalty for his challenge on Wesley Fofana in the box.

Martinez criticised the United hierarchy in an explosive interview following defeat at Atletico Madrid earlier this month.

But the Argentine’s sending off cost United as Cole Palmer doubled Chelsea’s lead from the spot following Morgan Rogers’ excellent opener.

Asked if he felt let down by Martinez, Carrick said “no” to TNT Sports but then admitted the sending off changed the game.

“It has a major importance on the game,” Carrick said. “A huge moment. I think that is pretty obvious really.”

Carrick did not look towards Martinez and appeared to ignore him as he made his way down the tunnel.

More of the thoughts of Michael Carrick who was asked if Man Utd were negatively affected by the opening goal.

“I don’t think the heads dropped [after conceding the first goal],” he explained.

“There’s no hiding from the fact that we haven’t won enough games. The boys were in a good place in the first half and you could see that in the performance.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily a heads drop. I think it gives them [Chelsea] a lift and then makes it harder for us.

“I don’t think we started the second half particularly great. It was a bit scrappy and we didn’t quite get going. They made the first blow of the second half and in the end that went on to make the difference.”

The Manchester United manager spoke to TNT Sports after the game and gave his thoughts on the performance.

He said: “We didn’t really come out, didn’t really get going in the second half. We could have, should have, been up really in the first half.

“I thought everything was as positive as we could have hoped for in the moment and we could have made more chances with bits of final passes. We looked really dangerous, looked in a good place going into half time and found a way of unravelling it in the second half.

“Obviously a bad goal to goal, a penalty and then we’re right up against it at that moment. It’s turned right on its head.”

Did the players let themselves and the manager down today?

Bryan Mbuemo responded: “I think the mentality was there right from the first minute. Harder with 10 men. We still trust everyone. With the men down, we still had some frustrations at the end. But I think we have done everything as a team today.

“Maybe today we just missed some chances. We could have been up early in the game, but that’s a positive to take out of this game.”