Carrick celebrates individual decider

Michael Carrick cannot stop talking about his solo goal which sealed Manchester United’s 2-0 victory on Sunday.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s men took a first minute lead through Wayne Rooney, but looked to be having difficulty killing their opponents off until Carrick picked the ball up just inside his own half, drove all the way to the edge of the QPR area and fired low past Radek Cerny.

Carrick agreed his first goal since December 2009 was far from planned, but was relieved to see it hit the net after his side had missed several chances to double their lead.

“It just seemed to open up for me and I kept on going and going and thought: ‘Why not?’. It was great to see it go in,” Carrick said.

“We had so many chances in the game, so many opportunities to get a shot on target.”

“I was starting to wonder if it was going to be one of those days. So I was delighted to see it go in, even if the run seemed to take forever.”

When asked about Carrick’s goal, Ferguson joked: “He’s supposed to sit in the middle of the pitch – I maybe have to fine him.”

“I’m happy to pay it if I score goals like that,” Carrick laughed when told of his manager’s words.

“The last time I scored a goal from inside my own half was probably when I was playing under-12s.”