Sheshko’s last-minute equalizer secured a 1-1 draw for Manchester United, preserving their top-four spot! Carrick made a clear mistake, and the real challenge is just beginning.

Manchester United traveled to London to face West Ham, who are battling relegation, and could only secure a point thanks to Sheshko’s stoppage-time equalizer, ending 1-1. Carrick failed to achieve a fifth straight victory but kept the unbeaten streak alive at five games. This unexpected outcome presents the first real challenge for Carrick’s short spell in charge of the Red Devils. Luckily, their competitor Chelsea was also held to a draw this matchday, helping United retain their top-four Premier League standing.

Carrick stuck with the previous starting lineup, which is one of his coaching traits—he dislikes making personnel changes. The Manchester United manager explained, "Our squad is very strong, so selecting the best lineup isn’t easy. I feel the players are in good form, motivated but not overly excited. I’m looking forward to this match. Everyone in the team, including the bench, needs to contribute, and we must keep up our momentum."

Unfortunately, Carrick miscalculated. In recent weeks, this lineup had brought him consecutive wins. However, facing West Ham, who are fighting relegation, the situation was completely different from the start.

Nuno Santo’s West Ham deployed a 5-4-1 formation with dense defense. Manchester United controlled possession but seemed unsure how to break through. Despite holding 65% possession, Carrick’s team managed only three shots on target.

In the end, Carrick likely regretted not starting with the tall striker Sheshko, and his criticized slow substitutions, a problem noted during his time at Middlesbrough, also appeared in this match.

Perhaps playing two games within three days left Carrick and his coaching staff insufficient time to analyze the opponent and devise tactics, causing Manchester United to appear disorganized against West Ham. The Red Devils still created some chances, such as Bruno Fernandes’ one-on-one, where it’s uncertain if he was offside, but he shot over, so VAR did not intervene.

The team’s excellent corner routines this season continued, with Luke Shaw nearly scoring, but his former teammate Wan-Bissaka performed a goal-line clearance to save the day. Overall, the match largely unfolded as West Ham hoped, with their left winger Somerville dominating United’s Diogo Dalot and repeatedly threatening.

Neither side scored in the first half, and the teams went into the break goalless. After the break, West Ham quickly broke the deadlock as Luke Shaw lost his marker, Jarrod Bowen crossed from the right, and Souček easily finished in front of goal, putting Manchester United 0-1 behind.

Manchester United’s attacks remained ineffective. Casemiro’s headed goal was ruled out for offside. The fact that “Fat Tiger” often played as the most advanced forward highlighted the lack of penetration in the front line. Carrick waited until the 70th minute to bring on the tall striker Sheshko for Cunha, following the substitution pattern he used at Middlesbrough. The €85 million signing quickly registered Manchester United’s first shot on target in nearly 50 minutes, but the goalkeeper saved it.

In the final 10 minutes, Carrick replaced Dalot with Zirkzee, who was jeered by fans because Dalot had been repeatedly outplayed by West Ham’s in-form winger Somerville, who has scored in five consecutive games, causing Dalot to lose his recent good form. In stoppage time, Zirkzee’s header skimmed past the goal, and it seemed Carrick’s first defeat as manager was imminent.

Sheshko rescued the team in the final minute of stoppage time. Mbemo’s left-footed cross from the right found Sheshko at the near post, who cleverly flicked it into the net, securing a 1-1 draw for Manchester United. This might have been an undeserved outcome, leaving West Ham devastated after losing three crucial points that could have helped them escape the relegation zone.

In Carrick’s first four matches in charge, Manchester United displayed the classic Red Devils’ spirit, but against West Ham, they lacked effort and passion, with no highlights except for a fortunate late moment. Carrick now faces a new challenge in his managerial career: how to bounce back after setbacks? No team is invincible; true contenders recover quickly after difficulties.

Next, Manchester United will have 13 days to prepare for their away game at Everton’s new home, the Hill Dickinson Stadium. It’s easy to imagine David Moyes adopting West Ham’s tactics, avoiding open attacking play against United and opting for a compact formation. A few days later, Manchester United will regroup at Carrington to study how to break down tight defenses and prove their West Ham performance was just an anomaly.

Carrick commented after the match, "We performed reasonably well. However, I’m a bit disappointed because the team clearly didn’t play at their best. I’ve managed five games so far, and the performances have been quite good. The opponent’s defense was very tight and posed significant challenges. We lacked sharpness and problem-solving ability, but I must praise the players for showing great fighting spirit in the final moments, which is rare. So, we accept this draw and move forward."

The Manchester United manager admitted West Ham’s style troubled his team: "Sometimes, you have to give credit to the opponent. I think West Ham’s defense was excellent and caused us a lot of problems. It’s good that the players feel disappointed because it shows they know they didn’t perform well enough. However, finishing the match strongly is a positive. We haven’t been together long, and while we’ve had brilliant victories, there are also less successful moments like tonight. We must learn from these experiences. Football isn’t always easy to win; today, we found a way to salvage a point. As I said, the team will learn from this and focus on the positives."

Regarding the next match in half a month, Carrick said, "This game has fully shown how difficult it is to maintain consistency in the Premier League. We are unbeaten in five matches, with four wins, which is commendable. Objectively, the players performed quite well but must keep improving. We have a short break ahead, and we hope to return stronger and continue progressing. We will make good use of this interval to come back to the pitch in better shape."