Carrick: Draw Drama Will Aid Us

Michael Carrick believes Sunday’s dramatic 3-3 draw with Chelsea has handed Manchester United a psychological advantage in the race for the Barclays Premier League title.

The Reds were 0-3 down shortly after half-time thanks to an own goal from Jonny Evans and strikes from Juan Mata and David Luiz. Wayne Rooney struck twice from the penalty spot to spark hopes of a point before Javier Hernandez levelled on 84 minutes with a deft header.

And despite the fact that Sir Alex Ferguson’s side now trail leaders Manchester City by two points, Carrick says the heroic come-from-behind nature of events at Stamford Bridge could strike a blow to the Reds’ watching opponents.

Speaking to MUTV, the 30-year-old midfielder explained why his team are well and truly in the title hunt despite enduring a tough fixture pile-up: “We are still there but it’s a run of tough games for us at the moment.

“I think other teams who were watching that and seeing us go 3-0 down, they would have been thinking what a good afternoon it has been for them. Then for us to come back in the manner we did might give them a little dent and a boost for us.”

Carrick also shed light on how United kept cool in the face of adversity after Chelsea struck twice in quick succession after the half-time break and revealed why what looked like an unlikely point felt like an anti-climax given the amount of momentum and pressure the Reds had built.

“We were slightly disappointed in the end," said Carrick. "Obviously, when you’re 3-0 down and have your backs against the wall, if someone offers you a point then you’ll be happy with that but getting a third goal with a fair bit of the game to go, we fancied ourselves to go on and win it.

“We probably looked like the likelier team to do it. They had a good free-kick but it’s a strange feeling in many ways, it was an up and down afternoon and in the end, a point is a point and we can take an awful lot from that game.

“We played well in the first half and created some opportunities. Even when we were 1-0 down at half time we were a bit stunned and surprised but that’s how it was and we had to deal with it.

“It’s a credit to the boys, we kept going, kept pushing and kept believing that we could get something out of the game and in the end we have. There’s a lot of positivity but there’s still that little tinge of maybe we could have won it. Maybe that is a bit greedy after being 3-0 down.”