Carrick proud of United run

Published: 29 May 2009 - 08:51:55

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Michael Carrick admits defeat to Barcelona was hard to stomach after two unbeaten years in the UEFA Champions League. Having been knocked out at the semi-final stage in 2007, Manchester United bounced back the following season to be crowned champions of Europe. They made a valiant attempt to defend their trophy as they made it through to the final for a second straight year. Sir Alex Ferguson's men did not suffer a single defeat in the competition until they ran into a rampant Barcelona side in Rome on Wednesday. Goals from Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi gave the Catalan giants a 2-0 victory and Carrick believes they deserve all the praise they are getting. But the midfielder insists United can also be proud of what they have done over the past two seasons. Expectations "We had gone unbeaten in this competition for two years and, sadly, it came to an end on the wrong night," he told the Daily Star. "I think we can be proud of what we've achieved in the last couple of years, but it's hard to take. "We had high expectations of playing well and winning but it didn't work out for us. "Credit to Barcelona though. They are a good team with good players and they deserved to win. We can't argue about that."