Michael Carrick Admits Man Utd Fans' Boos 'Hurt' After Tottenham Draw

Michael Carrick says the angry reaction from Manchester United fans stung, after his side let slip a lead and a man advantage to draw 1-1 with Tottenham at Old Trafford.

The home supporters booed after a sluggish first half, and the jeers rang out again at full-time as United's fans voiced their fury. 

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

United have now failed to win five of their opening six Premier League games, with three draws and two defeats. That is as many winless games as they had in 17 league matches under Carrick last season. Their six points is also their lowest tally at this stage since 1986-87, when they had four.

Bryan Mbeumo put United ahead in the 73rd minute. Rodrigo Bentancur was then sent off after a physical clash with Luke Shaw, but United pulled back instead of finishing the job. Dominic Solanke, wearing the Spurs captain's armband for the first time, rose highest to head in Sandro Tonali's cross in the second minute of stoppage time.

Carrick said the way it ended hurt most. "To get the game as we wanted it, in such a good position, we should see it through. We have to manage those situations," he said. "That's two late goals which have hurt us, and things look very different. That's the reality."

He admitted the start was poor, which is what drew the first boos. "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," he said. He felt United grew into the game after the break. "The lads grew into the game, in the second half I thought we were better in everything."

It is the second league game in a row in which United have failed to win against a side reduced to 10 men, after their 1-0 derby defeat by Manchester City. Asked if there is a mental block, Carrick said no. "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," he said.

It is also the third league game in a row United have drawn 1-1 against a side who started the day at the bottom, after Wolves in December 2025 and Fulham last month.

Spurs moved off the bottom of the table but are still winless under Roberto de Zerbi. It is only the fourth time in the club's history they have failed to win any of their opening six league games, after 2008-09, 1955-56 and 1912-13.