Manchester United manager Michael Carrick has urged his team to find solutions after a 2-0 loss to newly-promoted Hull City, but stressed that one defeat does not signal a systemic failure. Hull secured a deserved victory at the MKM Stadium with goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy, both coming from set-pieces.
"We haven't lost many games in six, seven months," Carrick stated post-match. "So again, I get it, we've lost today and I understand there's questions to be asked, but it doesn't mean everything's wrong because we've lost a game. We've done a lot of good things and we did some good things today, but it gets lost, and I understand it'll get lost, but it doesn't get lost from our point of view."
Carrick acknowledged that the team must adapt to different tactical approaches. "There's definitely issues playing against different systems, so we have got to find the answers for that. But just because we lose one game it doesn't mean that everything needs to be dissected and it's wrong from our point of view."
Despite his outwardly calm demeanor, Carrick admitted to internal frustration. "I'm talking to you quite calm, but I'm not exactly calm inside and enjoying the day, you know? So there's a big difference. I played here for a long time. You don't get to play here for a long time without just going day by day, the results, the ups and downs, but you just carry on as normal. It's 100% not that; trust me, it's not that. It just doesn't mean that we all have to shout and scream and come out and create some chaos just because of it. Inside we're hurting. The boys know we need to get better, but the calmness doesn't mean that there's no emotion in it, for sure."
Hull City manager Sergej Jakirovic expressed satisfaction with his team's performance and believes it will aid in attracting new players before the transfer deadline on September 1.