Carrick: Reaching The Final Is Phenomenal

Michael Carrick was left almost speechless after helping Manchester United to a pulsating late victory over Everton in the Emirates FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

Anthony Martial's 93rd-minute winner – slotted home superbly after Marouane Fellaini's first-half opener and a Chris Smalling own goal – means the Reds will face either Watford or Crystal Palace in next month's final.

Asked to sum up his emotions after the game, Carrick was naturally delighted to play his part in the dramatic win, but is determined not to get carried away by the result.

“I can’t remember the last time I had a feeling like that – it’s a phenomenal feeling" he told MUTV. "It was a bit of a crazy game; we were very good in the first half and probably should have been [further] in front really. I know they had a couple of chances, but I think we dominated.

"They came out [fighting] in the second half; obviously they had to throw everything at us, it was backs against the wall at times. It was a bit of a crazy cup tie, but for the players, backroom staff and fans, to win like that is an unbelievable feeling. I’m glad that we could give them something like that."

The midfielder continued: "We were so dominant in the first half and expected them to come out fighting in the second half. That’s the FA Cup: in the semi-final, anything can happen. We knew we just had to be patient and stay in the game, but after they did score we settled down a bit and played a little bit better again.

"It doesn’t matter, though: we’ve come here and won and probably in the best way with a last-minute goal. We can go home absolutely delighted, but we’re not getting carried away – we’ve still got a massive game to play in the final. We’ll go home and concentrate on that.

"It would be amazing [to win the FA Cup], but I don’t want to get carried away. We’ve been to a final before and haven’t won it, so the next game is even more important than this one. We’ll enjoy tonight; it’s a massive result and a great feeling but we’ll start afresh in a few weeks’ time."

Martial was calmness personified as he placed home the dramatic late winner and Carrick was full of praise for the 20-year-old.

"I fancied Anthony to score as soon as he went through – it just looked right for him," the vice-captain said. "You forget how young he is; I thought he was brilliant today and caused them so many problems. We deserved to get that goal and I’m sure there are a lot more in him for many years to come!"