Shades of Ferguson but Carrick needs a response

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Michael Carrick seemed to be taking a chapter out of Sir Alex Ferguson's play book with his ferocious attack on the decisions that went against Manchester United last night.

Ferguson frequently targeted officials and their decisions after disappointing results.

The tactic has two purposes.

Firstly, it serves notice the officials are not going to get an easy time of it and perceived injustices will get called out.

I am sure Carrick genuinely thought Leny Yoro was impeded for the first Leeds goal and Lisandro Martinez was unjustly sent off in the second half.

But, almost of more importance, it deflects attention away from an overall performance, which last night, until Martinez's dismissal bizarrely, was poor from Manchester United.

Leeds were on the front foot from the first whistle, had two glorious chances to score in the first half beyond the two goals they did get, and fully deserved their success.

Carrick played down the impact of the 24-day gap between fixtures, although it would explain why his side were so sluggish.

The big question is how will they respond? They go to Chelsea on Saturday. A rare victory at Stamford Bridge, or even a draw, will keep them on track to claim a Champions League spot. Defeat – with home matches against Brentford and Liverpool to come – will leave Carrick's side in a precarious position.