Carrick accepts blame as Man Utd lose to Brighton

Manchester United led Brighton 2-0 at Old Trafford in the Carabao Cup third round and lost 3-2. It was their first home defeat after leading by two goals since 1976.

Michael Carrick did not look for cover afterwards. "I totally understand the feelings of the supporters. We have to accept it. I totally accept it," he said, before adding: "It's on me ultimately: as a team, what we look like, how we play and what results you get. I take that. I'll take the praise, I'll take the criticism and the upset." He called the collapse "unacceptable".

The intensity dropped, the defending went soft, and Brighton needed no further invitation. A section of the home crowd booed at full-time. Carrick's side have taken two wins from six games in all competitions this season.

Former Premier League midfielder Jobi McAnuff was measured about it on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily. "We have to be careful to not go too over the top with this result," he said,

Clinton Morrison put some of the blame elsewhere. "We can't just throw everything at Michael Carrick," he said, pointing instead to a matter-of-fact conclusion: "They just haven't got it right at the moment."

Brighton's own new arrival, defender Jaouen Hadjam, signed this month and yet to score for the club, was part of a Seagulls side that outworked the hosts.

United's Champions League opener at the same ground six days earlier, a 4-0 win over Sabah in which Carrick praised Benjamin Sesko's return from injury, now reads as the outlier rather than the trend. If the pattern from the Carabao Cup repeats in the league, where United are already conceding at a rate Opta calls unsustainable, the pressure on Carrick will move from the terraces onto the results sheet itself.