Carrick's Red Could Be A Blessing In Disguise

Michael Carrick spent 30 seconds less on the pitch than those of his teammates who competed from the first whistle to the last at the San Siro last night. The midfielder was sent off deep into injury time for the perceived offence of kicking the ball away.

"It was very soft to be honest," Carrick told Sky Sports News.

"It rolled at me and I flicked it into Pat`s path as he`s ran past me. It wasn`t as if there was a player from their team trying to get it and it didn`t slow the game down in any way. I was just shocked really, to be honest."

Thing is, Carrick will now miss the second leg against AC Milan but to be honest, with a midfield three of Fletcher, Anderson and Scholes we should be able to secure a draw at home against an ageing Milan team who failed to make the most of their home advantage and United's willingness to give the ball away in their own third. And if we go through, Carrick will certainly be available for the quarter-final, he does not have to fret about picking up a booking during the second game. So there's a positive even to his red card.

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