Carrick hails ‘unbelievable’ finish

MANCHESTER United midfielder Michael Carrick saluted a priceless derby win at the Etihad Stadium yesterday - one that rekindled hopes of a top-four finish.

Carrick said: “I thought we were good in the first half. It was a great goal from Marcus Rashford, an unbelievable finish from him.

“It’s more than three points. It was a must-win for us. We’ve got the international break and when we come back we’ve got some massive league games, and obviously we’ve got the cup game.”

Defender Chris Smalling, who kept Sergio Aguero and City’s other attacking threats at bay for the most part, was delighted with the performance – and in particular the showing from match-winner Rashford.

“It’s so refreshing to see a young striker who just wants to run at defenders and I know if I was up against him I would be in for a difficult game,” said the England defender.

“We knew it would be hard to replicate the first–half performance with the tempo and intensity.

“We had to drop into shape and defend very well.”