A delighted Sir Jim Ratcliffe responded “yeah, very,” when questioned about his happiness following Manchester United‘s triumph over Arsenal. Ratcliffe witnessed the thrilling 3-2 victory at the Emirates alongside Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox. Arsenal drew level through Mikel Merino in the 84th minute, but the match took another dramatic turn when Matheus Cunha netted three minutes later to clinch a monumental result for United.
As Ratcliffe departed the ground, he was approached by journalists asking for comment. “No, no, no,” he replied before adding, “just get the smile” whilst indicating his lips were sealed. The United co-owner was then questioned about his satisfaction with the outcome, to which he answered: “Very, yeah.”
Ratcliffe’s administration dismissed Ruben Amorim at the start of this month following escalating friction with the board. Darren Fletcher took temporary charge for two matches before Michael Carrick was installed as head coach through to the season’s conclusion.
Carrick supervised a victory against Manchester City in his inaugural match at the helm and followed up that performance by securing a remarkable triumph against Premier League table-toppers Arsenal, lifting United to fourth position.
Speaking to the BBC, Carrick commented: “It was a good day. I think we had to put a lot into that game, an awful lot. Credit to the boys, so proud of them. We had to sustain some attacks, especially earlier on and we grew into the game.
“We had a setback, come back strong, had a setback towards the end, come back strong. So many elements to the game that were good. We’re so fresh whether it’s 10 days in, two games, it’s never going to be perfect at this stage, especially coming against a team like Arsenal.
“But there were so many positives to take and we’ll keep adding to it in days and weeks to come. The boys have been fantastic in terms of taking things on, wanting to do it and investing into it.
“You can see what it means to them at the end. Really proud of them today, it’s obvious to say but it’s a tough place to come. Especially with the way the game flowed we stick at it and fantastic feeling at the end.”