Michael Carrick did not hide his frustration following Manchester United's stunning Carabao Cup exit at the hands of Brighton, a defeat that saw Old Trafford fans turn on their team with jeers at the final whistle.
United appeared to be cruising towards the next round after racing into a 2-0 lead inside the opening 10 minutes, with Shea Lacey and Mason Mount both finding the net early. But Fabian Hürzeler's Brighton side, who made six changes to their starting lineup, produced a remarkable turnaround. Charalampos Kostoulas pulled one back in first-half stoppage time before Pascal Gross levelled matters on 65 minutes. Four minutes later, Maxim De Cuyper completed the comeback to send Brighton through 3-2 winners.
The collapse carries historical weight for United. It marked the first time in 50 years that the club had surrendered a 2-0 lead at Old Trafford, and the first occasion since 1984 that they had lost there having led at the interval.
Speaking after the match, Carrick took ownership of the defeat and made clear such performances cannot be tolerated. "We can't accept that as a group," he said, referring to how his side unravelled in the second half. "I take responsibility for it. The performance towards the end of the second half, that's on me."
The result adds to a difficult run of form for United, who have managed just two wins all season—against Ipswich in the league and Sabah in the Champions League. Despite the mounting scrutiny on his position, Carrick insisted external pressure was not something occupying his thoughts. "Under pressure? That doesn't bother me one bit," he said. "I understand what goes on and how the world works. What bothers me is winning games and I believe we will do, but we have to do it pretty quickly."
With the cup dream now over, Carrick's focus shifts immediately to Sunday's Premier League trip to Fulham. "We have a big game on Sunday that we have to prepare for," he said. "We're out of this competition and we have to go back to winning football matches. It doesn't feel good at the moment."
The United manager also acknowledged the anger from supporters inside Old Trafford, who voiced their displeasure as the final whistle blew. "I totally understand the feelings of the supporters," Carrick admitted.
Away from matters on the pitch, Carrick was also questioned about the situation surrounding 15-year-old academy prospect JJ Gabriel, who has reportedly informed the club of his desire to leave. The manager was measured in his response, emphasizing the sensitivity of dealing with a player so young. "We have to be a little bit careful on that one. He's a 15-year-old boy. It's more about the welfare, the care and the attention of JJ as a child really," Carrick said. "He's certainly a young man. The situation is what it is, but we have to be careful about the exposure and how much we jump on that."
For Brighton, the victory was a source of real satisfaction, particularly given the changes made to the lineup. Hürzeler praised his squad's depth and mentality after the win. "I am not sure how many players on the pitch had experienced winning here, we have a lot of newcomers but when we play to our level we can compete with anyone in the league," he said.
Brighton now progress to face either Manchester City or Norwich, who meet on Thursday, in the next round. Hürzeler made clear his side's ambitions extend beyond simply progressing. "We want to go as far as possible but if you want to win something you have to win at the highest level," he said.
Based on reporting from Guardian Football.