Michael Carrick accepted the boos after Manchester United's Carabao Cup collapse against Brighton. United led 2-0 early on, then lost 3-2, and Carrick said the performance was "unacceptable" while taking the blame for the late second-half drop-off.

"I totally understand the feelings of the supporters. We have to accept it. I totally accept it," Carrick said after the defeat. He went further too, adding: "It's on me ultimately: as a team, what we look like, how we play and what results you get. I take that. I'll take the praise, I'll take the criticism and the upset."

Carrick's responsibility after the collapse

That response fit the mood around the ground. Carrick did not try to turn the crowd against the players or the occasion, and he moved quickly to the bigger concern, saying: "We can't accept that as a group. I take responsibility for it. The performance towards the end of the second half, that's on me."

He also made clear that the result leaves no room for comfort. "We'll all be better. We have to be better. We have a big game on Sunday that we have to prepare for. We're out of this competition and we have to go back to winning football matches," he said.

United's league form has already been patchy enough to make the cup exit sting more. Their recent Premier League run is listed as L D W L W, and they are 16th in the standings. That is a poor platform for a team trying to steady itself after a home collapse of that kind.

Redknapp's criticism of the young defence

The other sharp edge to the night came from Jamie Redknapp, who said the two young centre-backs, Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro, were "inept in everything they did." He also pointed out that it was their first start together this season.

The inexperience is hard to ignore. Heaven had only one league appearance this season before the Brighton tie, while Yoro had only two. Heaven then played the full 90 minutes against Brighton, so the criticism covered the whole collapse rather than a short spell.

Redknapp's point was backed up by the general shape of the performance, and Diogo Dalot was part of a back line that never really settled after the early lead slipped away. United looked too open when Brighton raised the tempo, and Carrick was left answering the questions after the final whistle.

United are out of the Carabao Cup now, and the response on Sunday will tell a lot about how quickly Carrick can move the story on from this one.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →