Soccer
Michael Carrick wants Man Utd to 'finish the season strong' after qualifying for Champions League
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Manchester United are back in the Champions League after a two-year absence from Europe's premier club competition, and Michael Carrick wants the Red Devils to keep up the intensity for the remainder of the current season.
Man United secured their spot in next season's Champions League thanks to a 3-2 victory over Liverpool on Sunday, with the Red Devils nearly squandering a two-goal lead until Kobbie Mainoo's 77th-minute winner sealed the result at an appreciative Old Trafford.
Sunday's win was the third straight for Man United, part of 10 victories overall since Carrick took the reins, and the interim boss expressed pride with the work his team has put in to get to this position after a tumultuous first half of the campaign.
"Yes in some ways the work that has been done, the way the players have played, we can take a lot from it," Carrick told Sky Sports. "Qualifying for the Champions League felt off in the distance at one point, it's not something we celebrate really, we just want to finish high up in the league."
To that end, the Red Devils strengthened their grip on third place in the standings with their win over fourth-place Liverpool, who now sit six points back. However, the way Sunday's match unfolded created a cause for slight concern for Carrick, who lauded his players for the way they dealt with Liverpool's comeback attempt.
"We scored a lot of goals, we have scored in the past five games," Carrick explained. "Our focus has been out of possession work.
"We try to put our strength in the game, we started the game well, I'm just as pleased with the way we finished the game, two set backs could have knocked us but the players were quality, and we came out on top."
Man United's turnaround under Carrick has been stark, and while unrealistic they could still mathematically surpass cross-town rivals Manchester City for second place on the table. Much of the credit for the turnaround from fans and pundits has rightly gone to Carrick, but the former Red Devils player stressed the team effort it took to get the side back on course.
"Good players and good staff definitely help," he said. "The connection we have as a group, overcoming change and difficult challenges.
"We're just trying to do the right things and players have taken everything on so well, we want to finish the season strong."
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