Lisandro Martinez reveals how interim manager Michael Carrick inspired Man Utd to ‘unbelievable’ derby victory over Man City

Carrick enjoyed a dream start to his tenure as United's new head coach, guiding his side to a decisive victory over arch rivals City in a dominant win, marked by an aggressive, direct style of play that the visitors struggled to contain. Carrick's tactical approach was a masterclass; he set his team up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, which allowed United to be compact defensively and launch rapid counter-attacks.

His key decisions, including recalling Harry Maguire and playing Bryan Mbeumo as the central forward, paid off handsomely. Maguire hit the crossbar early on and Mbeumo later opened the scoring in the 65th minute with a cool finish after a swift break. Patrick Dorgu doubled the lead in the 76th minute to seal the win. Despite having three goals disallowed for marginal offsides and hitting the post, United were superior in every aspect. And Martinez has hailed Carrick’s approach, using the home atmosphere to inspire the players.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Martinez said: "One important thing Michael Carrick said was 'use the energy of the people'. Today I think we did it. When we are together it is impossible to lose at home. When you play against this kind of players, the team defends. Not just one or two players. Today we defended so well. We were so compact all the time and then you have the confidence to go into the duels. You feel today a different energy in the eyes of the players. Today the team won, that's the most important thing for me."

On the convincing victory, he added: "Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Being here with the fans, with the team, we really know how we suffer during the season. But the only way is putting the face here and showing here who we are. Today is the best moment to do it. Not just the players on the pitch, the staff, everyone was part of that."

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Carrick was appointed United’s interim head coach until the end of the season earlier this week, primarily to allow the club's new hierarchy, including Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox, time to conduct a thorough search for a permanent manager in the summer. Following Ruben Amorim's sacking, United sought someone who deeply understood the club's culture to "reduce the risk of a period of adaptation".

Carrick, a popular former player and coach under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, fit this requirement perfectly. His willingness to work within the existing collaborative system, a point of contention with Amorim, was a significant factor in his favour. Carrick also impressed in interviews with his leadership qualities, hands-on coaching approach and strong knowledge of the current squad, ultimately making him the unanimous choice over fellow candidate Solskjaer.

United’s next match is a challenging away game to league leaders Arsenal, having not won at the Emirates in their last seven league visits. This is followed by a home clashes with Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur before an away match at West Ham United. 

Consistency through those games will improve their chances of landing a coveted place in the Champions League, and it is consistency that Carrick focused on after the win over City. Carrick said: "Consistency is the key to any success. If you can find that you're on to a winner. We're not going to have games with the emotion and feeling that today brought. We all understand that. But there's definitely a standard and expectation we need to live up to. That's our challenge."