Michael Carrick equals Premier League record as he strengthens grip on Man Utd job

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Michael Carrick has equalled a Premier League record after guiding Manchester United to another victory. The Red Devils ran out 2-1 winners at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday to prolong Carrick's honeymoon period.

The 44-year-old was appointed on an interim basis after United sacked Ruben Amorim in January. A United legend from his playing days, Carrick started with impressive wins against Manchester City and Arsenal .

The Red Devils followed-up those results with victories over Fulham and Tottenham before a draw at West Ham threatened to halt their momentum. But after beating Everton on Monday and now Palace, United have returned to winning ways.

But this isn't the first time that Carrick has managed United. The ex-Middlesbrough boss briefly took charge when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was axed in 2021, overseeing three games. Two of those were in the Premier League, as Carrick's side earned a 1-1 draw away to Chelsea before beating Arsenal 3-2 at Old Trafford.

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If you combine his two spells, Carrick has made the joint-best start after nine games by any manager in Premier League history. In total, United have picked up 23 points from a possible 27 under the former England international.

Carrick's undeniable impact has made him the frontrunner to become Amorim's permanent successor at the end of this season. United have only gone behind on three occasions under Carrick, and Palace's fourth-minute opener on Sunday marked the first time his team had found themselves trailing at home.

But goals from Bruno Fernandes and Benjamin Sesko completed a second-half comeback, sending United up to third in the table and on course to qualify for the Champions League . Carrick admitted post-match that he'd been 'waiting' for a moment when his players had to deal with adversity.

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"You have got to find a way in games sometimes," he explained. "We wanted to make more runs and be a little bit more aggressive with attacking their backline, which you always try to do but I thought we did it better second half, ended up getting the penalty from that.

"It was more, how do we react? It's been going in our favour, it was something I've been waiting for, this moment, to see, 'Go on then, what are we going to do about it?' The boys responded ever so well. It was a big thing for us."

United's next match is away to Newcastle on Wednesday. Carrick grew up supporting the Magpies as his local team, but he's yet to managed against them. Another win would set the Red Devils up nicely for a huge clash with Aston Villa at Old Trafford on March 15, taking place after the Premier League takes a break for the FA Cup next weekend.

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