Carrick: We'll take the point from West Ham

United looked to be heading for a first defeat in the five matches since Carrick was appointed head coach, before a brilliant flicked finish from substitute Benjamin Sesko earned us a 1-1 draw in the sixth of seven added minutes.

Tomas Soucek's own clever effort had put West Ham ahead earlier in the second half, and the well-organised hosts limited the opportunities the Reds had to hit back.

But Carrick's men, naturally disappointed not to make it five wins on the spin come full-time, stayed in the fight and were rewarded late on, displaying spirit that our head coach picked out for praise post-match.

Below is a round-up of what the boss said as he reflected on the contest in interviews with MUTV and TNT Sports, at the London Stadium...

WE’LL TAKE THE POINT

“We were okay. I think we're a bit disappointed. We definitely weren’t at our best. We've had five games now, and we've been at a really good level. It's a tough place to come, they made it difficult, and we just didn't quite have that sharpness or that spark, really, to find the answers too often. But in the end, big credit to the boys, the spirit again in the late goal, and when we needed it. It's a great quality to have. So, we'll take the point and we'll move on.”

SESKO’S STOPPAGE-TIME STRIKE

“A fantastic finish. He's done it again, it's important. It's important we threw everything out at the end and had a lot of forwards on the pitch. [We] probably could [have] put a few more balls in the box, if we’re honest, with the players that we've got. Josh [Zirkzee] had a chance that just went wide, and [it’s a] great finish from Benji. So, delighted for him again, another big goal for him, and a good step.”

WE’VE GOT SPIRIT FOR LATE GOALS

“There’s that spirit that galvanises you when you score late goals and you know you’re capable of scoring late goals. It’s good to have it in the bank if you need it. Hopefully, we can see games off a little bit sooner and take the points next time.”

WEST HAM MADE IT DIFFICULT

“Sometimes, you credit the other team, I thought West Ham defended largely pretty well and made it difficult for us. It’s a good sign that the boys are disappointed. It shows that’s not enough, we’ll take it as a positive that we finished the game strong.” 

IT DOESN’T ALWAYS GO TO PLAN

“Being together for a short space of time, I think we've obviously had big highs of the results and the wins, and I think there's times when it doesn't quite go to plan, and you've got to take what you can from it. And in the end, we've took the draw tonight. So, it was a tough game, didn't come easy, sometimes football doesn't come easy and you've got to find a way and tonight we found a way to take a point. And as I said, we'll move on from that and take some positives from it.” 

WE WANT TO COME BACK STRONGER 

“It shows how challenging and hard it is to be consistent in this league. That’s five games unbeaten with the four wins, I think it’s a pretty good run and something we’ve got to continue really. But it shows when you put things in perspective how well the boys have done, and we want to come back stronger and keep on improving in this little break we’ve got from games. [We need to] use it well and come back in a better place.”