Michael Carrick might not be getting much support from the likes of Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes, but he’s defended Wayne Rooney against Arsenal fans in the best possible way.
Not many were expecting Man Utd to turn up at the Emirates and beat the league leaders Arsenal in their own backyard, and deservedly so.
After all, this is the same Arsenal side that was yet to lose after scoring first in 24 games this season, and hadn’t conceded three goals in a game for more than a year.
Therefore, Wayne Rooney became the target of the ire of many Arsenal fans after his no-nonsense statement about rating the current Arsenal side compared to a legendary United team.
After wins vs City and Arsenal… should Michael Carrick get the Man Utd permanent job?
Have your say!
Carrick executed his masterclass at Emirates and ensured Rooney went from “deluded” to “prophet”.
Wayne Rooney’s prophecy which ruffled Arsenal feathers
The hype around this Arsenal team after they beat Inter in the Champions League midweek was reaching ridiculous levels.
The peak of this hype was reached when Rooney was asked who would win between the current Arsenal side and the 2007/08 United side.
For anyone neutral who watches football regularly, that shouldn’t even have been a debate, let alone picked up on national television.
Expectedly, Rooney simply said three words, claiming his United side “would batter them,” referring to the current Arsenal team.
The Arsenal fanbase called him deluded, championing their side’s solidity and set-piece prowess, with Theo Walcott, who sparked the debate in the first place, nervously laughing in Rooney’s face when he said it.
After United’s 3-2 win at The Emirates using Sir Alex Ferguson’s blueprint, Rooney’s comments don’t look so deluded anymore, even to Arsenal fans.
How many points will United get from our next five games?
It's been a perfect start for Michael Carrick, will it continue? Which games are you worried about?
His fellow 2008 teammate has turned him into a prophet instead.
Michael Carrick’s masterclass hammered home Rooney’s point
Rooney made the point at the time that Arsenal can struggle when teams are passive out of possession and hit them on transitions.
United were far from passive out of possession, but were happy to defend deep and take the game to Arsenal on the counter-attack.
They settled into the game after enduring a fast start, then sucker-punched Arsenal like most of Sir Alex Ferguson’s greatest teams.
The question is – if an attack consisting of Mbeumo-Cunha-Fernandes-Amad did that to the current Arsenal side, what would the 07/08 team do to them?
That side had Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney, and Cristiano Ronaldo in attack with Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves supplying passes.
Forget 07/08 Utd vs the current Arsenal side. Michael Carrick just delivered a masterclass that proved even the 25/26 Utd is Arsenal’s Achilles Heel.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
