Carrick calls for steady performance from impressive Manchester United after derby victory

Michael Carrick wants Manchester United to maintain the high level they displayed during their commanding 2-0 victory against local rivals Manchester City on Saturday, which marked an ideal beginning to his tenure as temporary manager.

The team drew motivation from the shift in leadership, with strikes by Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu delivering a significant setback to City's pursuit of the Premier League crown.

Manchester United also saw three goals disallowed due to narrow offside rulings and were thwarted by a series of superb stops from City shotstopper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

"Great start. No getting away from that," said Carrick. "The boys were fantastic."

This result, only their second success in eight outings across all tournaments, propelled United up to fourth position in the standings before the remaining fixtures of the day.

Carrick's squad now confronts another challenging encounter away at table toppers Arsenal in the coming week, though this campaign they have faltered more frequently against lower ranked opponents.

Under previous coach Ruben Amorim, dismissed earlier this month, they could not overcome Wolves, Bournemouth, West Ham, or Everton on home soil.

"Consistency is the key to any success," said Carrick. "If you could find that, then you're onto a winner.

"That's our challenge. We've got to find a way to do that. Big one next week obviously, another tough one, but on the back of today, we've got a good foundation".