Man United hit crisis point under Carrick after collapse against Brighton

MANCHESTER, England -- Michael Carrick isn't the first Manchester United manager to go through a crisis, but this is now the first of his reign. Carrick's team led 2-0 against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup third round on Wednesday and somehow conspired to lose 3-2. Coming in the immediate aftermath of a controversial but still abject derby defeat to 10-man Manchester City and 24 hours after their best young player, JJ Gabriel, made it clear he wants to leave, it capped a disastrous few days at Old Trafford. United's players attempted to applaud the fans at the final whistle, but were engulfed by boos as they slowly lapped the pitch. As red shirts disappeared down the tunnel, they were followed by chants of "What the f------ h--- was that?" "I totally understand the feelings of the supporters," said Carrick after the match. "We have to accept it. I totally accept it. It's on me ultimately. We can't accept that as a group. I take responsibility for it. The performance towards the end of the second half, that's on me. "We'll all be better. We have to be better. We want to win and want to win quickly." There are certain results which haunt United managers. For Erik Ten Hag, it was the calamitous FA Cup semifinal against English League Championship side Coventry City. Ruben Amorim will forever be remembered for the UEFA Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur and the Carabao Cup exit to League Two side Grimsby Town. Carrick can only hope that this doesn't stick in the memory in the same way. The 45-year-old has enjoyed a relatively serene 11 months in charge after taking over from Amorim -- initially temporarily -- in January. Playing one match a week during the second half of last season, United won 12 of the 17 games to climb to third in the Premier League table and secure a return to the UEFA Champions League. But any hope that the positive momentum might carry over into the new campaign has disappeared within the first month. It's now two wins from six games and four points from four in the league. For the first time, Carrick is under real pressure. The fallout of the defeat to Brighton makes for painful reading. United lost at Old Trafford after leading by two goals for the first time in 50 years. It was their first defeat at home after leading at halftime since May 1984. They haven't won a domestic cup tie since beating Leicester City in the FA Cup in February 2025. It's now four domestic cup defeats in a row under three different managers -- Amorim, Darren Fletcher and Carrick. Brighton have won the last two after winning here in the FA Cup in January. They're never far away from a United catastrophe. After 10 minutes, the 900 fans who made the 500-mile round trip to Manchester were perhaps wishing they hadn't. Fabian Hürzeler made six changes to the team that beat Coventry 5-0 on Sunday and it looked to have backfired when Shea Lacey and Mason Mount put United 2-0 up. The story of the night should have been one academy graduate -- 19-year-old Lacey -- showing another -- 15-year-old Gabriel -- that Old Trafford is the place to be. But it wasn't. Charalampos Kostoulas gave the visitors hope with a goal just before halftime. What followed was a limp and lifeless second-half performance from United, and Brighton equalized through Pascal Gross. United defended so badly all night that there was a sense of inevitability that Brighton would score again, and it came just three minutes later from substitute Maxim De Cuyper. The Seagulls have now won on five of their last six visits to Old Trafford. "I definitely believed and belief was a big word in the preparation for us," said Hürzeler. "When you go to a place like here, you need to have belief and then to show it when you are 2-0 down shows real character." Hürzeler and Brighton are preparing to mark their 125th anniversary when Arsenal visit the Amex on Saturday. Carrick may well be less enthusiastic about his weekend plans. The trip to Fulham on Sunday looks increasingly awkward. Álvaro Arbeloa's team are yet to win in the league this season, but earned a creditable draw at Liverpool last time out. Beyond the extended international break, there's a tricky run of fixtures including Tottenham at home, Atlético Madrid away and Leeds United away. "We have a big game on Sunday that we have to prepare for," said Carrick. "We're out of this competition and we have to go back to winning football matches. The next game is Sunday. That's all I'm thinking about right now." Carrick will need to find a solution somewhere. Previous United managers have seen results unravel very quickly. Just ask Ten Hag and Amorim. Once the pressure grows and the spotlight intensifies, it can be very hard to turn things around. It's the task that Carrick now faces. For the first time in his tenure he's facing serious questions. It's up to him to find the answers.