Carrick himself refused to make excuses for the performance that triggered Scholes’ viral post. He said: “We’re not happy with the way we played the game. The way it panned out, it was in our hands largely, but credit to Newcastle. We navigated to be in a position where we felt we should kick on. We didn’t, really, so bitterly disappointed. I don’t think it was the 10 men, we just didn’t play good enough and we can’t make excuses.”
The defeat remains the only major setback in Carrick’s tenure thus far since succeeding Amorim in mid-January. With the air now cleared between the two Class of ’92 legends, the focus returns to United’s attempts to climb the Premier League table under Carrick’s guidance, as the club weighs up its long-term managerial options following a turbulent season.