Michael Carrick’s win streak as Manchester United’s coach came to an end on Wednesday with a surprise 1-1 draw at West Ham United, one in which they had to come from behind to pick up a point and avoid their first defeat in five.
United were the heavy favorites in this matchup, in part because of their strong attacking record this season, but their offense was ineffective at the London Stadium. There were just five combined shots between the two teams in the first half, while neither side managed more than a single shot on target. Their combined expected goals tally was 0.28, the quality of their shots just as unremarkable as the quantity. (Expected goals measures how likely an individual shot is to land in the back of the net, which means 0.28 xG for a total of five shots is a low conversion rate – and yes, makes for a banal game.)
Things were only slightly better in the second half, though they tilted in West Ham’s favor quickly when Tomas Soucek scored for the hosts in the 50th minute. Jarrod Bowen received the ball on the right flank and made a long pass towards goal, where a handful of teammates were waiting. Soucek was the first to gain a hold of it while standing at the near post, finishing the shot from close range and ensuring relegation-threatened West Ham had a much-needed advantage.
The strange thing about the second half, though, was that United’s productive attack never got their act together. They managed to outshoot West Ham the rest of the way, taking six shots after Soucek’s goal while West Ham took just four, their reward finally coming in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Bryan Mbeumo whipped a cross into the box and Benjamin Sesko was there to receive, casually flicking the ball into the back of the net to ensure the Red Devils would extend their unbeaten run to five games.
Again, though, shot quantity was not matched by shot quality. United may have had more shots than West Ham after Soucek’s strike but somehow, they never managed to outdo the hosts’ xG tally – West Ham not only generated 0.49 xG from their final four shots of the game, slightly better than United’s 0.4 xG from six shots, their overall xG count after 90 minutes was 1.03, better than United’s paltry 0.62 showing at the final whistle.
The sputtering attack is the latest in a growing trend for Carrick’s United. Five games into his tenure as the head coach, the Red Devils average 2.2 goals per game, higher than the 1.7 goals per game tally they had this season under ex-coach Ruben Amorim. It may just be beginner’s luck for Carrick, though – his version of the team takes an average of roughly three fewer shots per match and generates 0.5 fewer expected goals along the way.
Though a sample size of five matches is small, the draw at West Ham paints a peculiar picture for Carrick’s tenure in charge of United so far. Though four wins preceded Wednesday’s tie, each of those games was fairly distinct; United outplayed an out-of-form Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur during this stretch, overperformed against a frantic Arsenal, played an even game against Fulham and now underperformed against a West Ham side that currently sits in the drop zone.
It makes Carrick’s impact on United hard to read in some ways, though he appears to have shifted the vibe since taking the helm last month. Amorim, his predecessor, was known for a rigid tactical approach while captain Bruno Fernandes said after Saturday’s 2-0 win over Spurs that Carrick has afforded the players more flexibility – and responsibility.
“I think Michael came in with the right ideas of giving the players the responsibility, but also some freedom to take the responsibility on the pitch during the decisions that are needed,” Fernandes told TNT Sport. “He’s very good with the words and I think he still remembers when I told him last time he was our manager, for our last game [during his four-game spell as a caretaker in 2021], and I was sure Michael could be a great manager and now he is showing it. We hope we can help him even more so everyone can see, not just us as the players, that we are good players and that is why we are at Manchester United, but also the staff is very good.”
The good news for Carrick and company is that it has not put that much of a dent in their hopes of qualifying for next season’s edition of the UEFA Champions League – Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Leeds United means the Blues still sit a point behind them, though Liverpool can close the gap to three points with a win at Sunderland and Brentford can do the same against Arsenal.
No haircut for viral Manchester United fan
While United are still on course for a finish inside the Champions League places, there is someone who has to start his streak from scratch – viral fan Frank Ilett, who has not cut his hair in over 500 days as he awaits a five-game winning streak from the team. After Saturday’s victory over Spurs, the Red Devils got as close as they have since Ilett began his challenge, but the fan will now have to wait until mid-March at the earliest to get a haircut.
Carrick said he was aware of Ilett and his growing mane but admitted on Monday that it would not provide added motivation for his side, who were instead focused on the task at hand on the pitch.
“My kids have made me aware of it,” he said. “I can understand what’s going on with it and it does make me smile, but it certainly won’t go into the team talk from a professional level.”
United’s next five matches are against Everton, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Bournemouth. Ilett said he intends to donate his strands to charity when – or if – he is finally able to cut his hair.
