# Carrick looks to respond to Chelsea loss as United prepare for Roma

- URL: https://apitofinal.pt/en/internacional-en/carrick-looks-to-respond-to-chelsea-loss-as-united-prepare-for-roma/
- Published: 2026-10-31T18:03:37+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-31T18:09:09+00:00
- Publisher: Apito Final (apitofinal.pt)
- Section: Internacional
- Tags: Chelsea, Liga dos Campeões, Manchester United, Michael Carrick, Morgan Rogers

## Article

Michael Carrick insists he remains focused on preparing Manchester United for next Tuesday’s Champions League match against Roma, following the 2-0 defeat by Chelsea. The result extended the team’s winless run to nine matches.

This difficult spell is the club’s worst since 1988, and the pressure on the manager to turn the situation around is intense.

## The match against Chelsea

Against Chelsea, Carrick’s side started well but missed several clear chances. The decisive moment came when Morgan Rogers scored Chelsea’s first goal, which had a significant impact on the flow of the match.

“It’s never a good goal to concede,” said Carrick, referring to Rogers’ goal. “He went right through the middle of us and at that point the game was balanced. Conceding like that was a big moment. I’m just looking forward to preparing the lads for midweek now.”

Things got even worse when Lisandro Martínez was sent off, leading to a penalty converted by Cole Palmer, which sealed United’s fate. Carrick refrained from criticising the defender and highlighted the importance of that moment in the course of the match. “It was a key part of the game,” he said. “The second goal and losing a man at that stage had a big influence.”

## Relegation zone and pressure on Carrick

Manchester United are currently just above the relegation zone, but Carrick played down the impact of a possible drop in the table. “There are no words I can use to explain that any differently,” he said. “It’s not going to change. We have to move forward and win games, it’s as simple as that.”

Asked whether the players were ready for a relegation battle, Carrick acknowledged the seriousness of the situation but stressed that they could climb the table quickly with wins. “You can look at it that way, and also think about how far you can go up the league quickly if you win football matches,” he added.

Chelsea, now fourth, showed a strong response after recent defeats. Head coach Xabi Alonso praised the performance of Estêvão Willian, who put in a remarkable display in his first league start of the season.

The pressure on Carrick and Manchester United continues to mount, and the match against Roma will be crucial to the manager’s future in the job.