Michael Carrick says that the team needs to be "more stubborn and ruthless" in the whole build up to Spurs equaliser against Manchester United.
The manager admitted that the team has to improve after the 1-1 draw against 10-man Spurs.
"We couldn't quite see it out, to have the game in such a good position, you have to see the game out," said Carrick.
"I’m disappointed to concede like that. No goal is a good goal to concede, and it’s another late goal that we’ve managed to concede.
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"We’ve done that in different ways, when we’ve been ahead in games, and we haven’t taken all the points. Then, everything looks very different and feels a lot different, and we make things a little bit more difficult for ourselves.
"But it’s a goal we’ve got to accept. We can defend that whole phase a lot better as a team, be more stubborn and ruthless, and see the game out.
"It's a little moment, another moment where it could look a lot different but we make it a little bit too hard for ourselves."
Bryan Mbeumo put United ahead, but Dominic Solanke struck late to earn Tottenham a point, diverting Sandro Tonali’s cross past Senne Lammens and leaving Carrick’s side to reflect on a missed opportunity.
The visitors had already lost Rodrigo Bentancur to a red card for headbutting Luke Shaw, giving United a numerical advantage for the closing stages. But they were unable to protect their lead, with Solanke’s equaliser ensuring the points were shared.
Carrick acknowledged that United had struggled during the opening stages, although he was encouraged by the way his players responded after half-time.
Speaking in comments published on Manchester United’s official website, the United boss said: “We definitely had a tough spell in the game early on. That’s pretty obvious.
“The positive is that we worked through that, and the second half was much better.”
Carrick was keen to recognise the improvement after the break, but made it clear that United cannot afford to overlook the shortcomings that contributed to another disappointing result.
“As I said, there are certainly things we can improve, but there are fine lines within that as well,” he said.
“We’ve got to stay positive and keep doing the right things.”
The late goal from Solanke was a painful blow after United had moved into a winning position through Mbeumo. With Tottenham down to 10 men, the home side had the opportunity to see out the contest, but instead had to settle for a point.
Carrick did not shy away from the wider demand for better results, acknowledging that United must turn their performances into more points if they are to make the progress they want.
“We need to do better and we need more points, of course we do,” he said.
There is little time for United to dwell on the disappointment, with a trip to Atletico Madrid next on the schedule. Carrick wants his players to embrace the challenge and approach the European fixture as an opportunity to respond.
“We’ve got games coming up, and we’ve got to be ready for them and embrace the challenge,” he said. “It’s a big challenge, a great challenge, and we’re more than capable of winning games.”
That belief will be important as United prepare to face Atletico, with Carrick insisting his team have the ability to win despite the setbacks they have experienced.
Rather than allow the Tottenham result to dominate their preparations, the manager is already looking forward to the next test and wants his players to do the same.
“We've got big games coming up and are looking forward to Tuesday now [at Atletico de Madrid],” he said.
“A fresh start, a fresh game and we will go there looking forward to the game.”
United must now turn those words into a response on the pitch. Carrick has acknowledged the need for improvement and more points, but his immediate message is one of belief: learn from the Tottenham disappointment, move on quickly and embrace the challenge awaiting them in Madrid.
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