Carrick defends United effort after Neville brands team pathetic

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick defended his team's effort and energy levels after a 1-1 draw with Fulham on Sunday, directly countering a scathing assessment from pundit Gary Neville. The result left United in 12th place in the Premier League with five points from five games, ten points behind leaders Manchester City. Neville, speaking on Sky Sports, described a 15-minute spell at the start of the second half as the worst he had ever seen Manchester United play in 46 years of watching the club. He called the performance "absolutely pathetic" and a "genuine disgrace," accusing the players of walking around the pitch and showing a shocking lack of effort. "I've watched Man United since the age of five and that's the worst 15 minutes I've ever seen," Neville stated. "They have walked for 15 minutes and you get what you deserve in a football match." He added that manager Carrick "has got to stop defending his players." Carrick, however, disputed the characterization. "I didn't think we were [passive]," he said. "Football is a difficult game. We controlled a lot of the first half. It's the Premier League and you will have spells where you don't have it all your own way.