Five things we learned at Old Trafford

Michael Carrick still has a role at the Theatre of Dreams, and four other talking points...

Michael Carrick is crucial to Manchester United’s revival

For reasons yet to be determined (perhaps because he tends to slow the game down, perhaps because he is not the kind of box-to-box player his manager usually prefers), Michael Carrick has struggled to get a look-in under Jose Mourinho. But his performance against Arsenal underlined why he is the right choice to steady the ship at Old Trafford and provide Paul Pogba with a platform from which to grow. Carrick’s calm, assured passing, gentle probing and ability to find and control space in midfield was a key part of United’s improved performance, in which they largely dominated the middle of the park. The Englishman’s ability to screen the back four from danger also contributed to a controlled defensive display (until the final minutes at least). He deserves to keep his place.