Michael Carrick admitted he was frustrated by Manchester United’s lack of cutting edge as they were held to a 1-1 draw at struggling West Ham on Tuesday.

United were below their best for long periods at the London Stadium and fell behind to Tomas Soucek’s 50th-minute strike. It took a stoppage-time equaliser from Benjamin Šeško to rescue a point and prevent Carrick from suffering his first defeat in five games as interim manager.

Despite retaining fourth place in the Premier League, Carrick acknowledged his side struggled to create clear chances and lacked cohesion in the final third.

“I think we were a little disappointed and we were definitely not at our best. It’s times like that when you find a way and move on. I’m a little frustrated at that,” he said.

“It is a tough place to come and we didn’t have that sharpness to find the answers. Great spirit again and we will take the point and move on. For where we are and being together for a short space of time, in the end we have to take a point. It didn’t come easy and we found a way. We will take some positives from it.”

Šeško’s late goal was his fifth in six games, continuing his recent upturn after a difficult start following his move from Leipzig.

“Fantastic finish. He has done it again. It is important. It’s a great finish. Delighted for him. Another big goal and a good step,” Carrick added.

The point left West Ham stuck in the relegation zone, though Carrick expressed hope that his former club can climb out of trouble.

“I would love them to stay up. It was a big part of my life and I have great memories here, so hopefully they stay up,” he said.