'Disappointed' - Carrick reacts to late Everton draw as Rashford suffers injury blow

Manchester United appeared to be heading for victory before a late collapse allowed Everton to snatch a 2-2 draw. After Bryan Mbeumo opened the scoring early in the second half, Tyrique George struck in the 83rd minute to bring Everton level. Substitute Benjamin Sesko thought he had secured the three points for United in the 88th minute, only for Maitland-Niles to deny the visitors with a stoppage-time screamer from outside the box.

Reflecting on the result, Carrick told BBC Match of the Day: 'Yeah, for sure, it is [on conceding late]. I thought there were a lot of good things in that game for us. We played some good football and looked dangerous at times. For the most part, I thought we defended really well as a team. A few more balls went into the box, making it a little bit more difficult for us when we should have seen the end of the game. We are disappointed that we didn't come away with a win.'

The draw means Manchester United are still searching for their first clean sheet of the new campaign, having conceded six goals across their opening three fixtures. Remarkably, this marks only the second time in the last 50 years - alongside the 2020-21 season - that United have conceded two or more goals in each of their first three league matches. Carrick acknowledged that while the team looked solid for large periods, they failed to manage the game effectively when it mattered most.

'They were two great strikes to be fair,' Carrick admitted when discussing the goals conceded to George and Maitland-Niles. 'We didn't give them clear chances. I thought we defended really well; a few bits dropped around the edge of the box, a few shots which we got blocks to. We defended the box for the most part. Of course, we don't want to concede goals. Today was different from the others; it was about finishing the game off more than anything because we were in a really good position.'

Manchester United's struggles on the road have continued early in the campaign. The draw at Everton follows a disappointing 2-0 defeat away to newly promoted Hull City on the opening weekend, leaving United still searching for their first away victory of the season.

'I thought that we played some really good football at times. Earlier on in the game and towards the end not so much, but we did a lot of good things, and looked dangerous,' Carrick explained. 'We caused them a lot of problems at certain times. Both were really good goals for different reasons, and the second one should have been the winner for us.' The result follows a thumping 5-2 victory over Ipswich Town, showing United's growing threat in front of goal.

One major downside for United was the withdrawal of Marcus Rashford. The England international had been a constant threat on the left flank, rekindling his long-standing partnership with Luke Shaw, but his afternoon was cut short due to a physical complaint. Carrick confirmed after the game that the substitution was a precautionary measure, though it remains to be seen if the forward will face a spell on the sidelines.

Speaking to Sky Sports about the decision to substitute Rashford, Carrick said: 'He felt a little bit of something, so we had to change him. We had good connections pretty much all over the pitch at different times of the game, and Marcus and Luke Shaw have played together for a long period of time and have a good understanding. And you can see that, they look really dangerous down that side, and there is obviously more to come.'