Clean sheet is key

Robin van Persie gave United the lead at the Theatre of Dreams on Wednesday night, clipping a heavily deflected shot over the stranded Jussi Jaaskelainen after just 33 seconds to clock the fastest goal in the Barclays Premier League this season.

As Carrick admits, it was almost a novelty to see the Reds score first, having conceded the first goal on 13 separate occasions this campaign, and the midfielder is now challenging his teammates to make a habit of taking an early lead in future matches.

“It has been a while,” Michael explained. “We had a spell, about a year or two ago, when we were starting games really well and killing teams off really early. We want to get back to that because Old Trafford is a difficult place to play when you go a goal down.

“We want to make it that way, certainly in the games that are to come because going a goal down has made things a lot harder for us than they should have been. Keeping a clean sheet gives us something to build on in the future.”

More: United 1 West Ham 0 | Gallery: Hammers action | Sir Alex expects long season