The passage of play was the stand-out moment from a supreme United display, which brought them a 7-1 win over Blackburn on a day their nine-goal thrashing of Ipswich in 1995 might have been threatened.
Two fine Paul Robinson saves denied Berbatov what would have been a record sixth, and an even better opportunity for Gabriel Obertan on a day when Sir Alex Ferguson's men threw off the shackles and dismissed the doubters who claim the current crop cannot stand judgement with great United teams of the best.
And for Carrick, the stellar moment of a performance sprinkled with stardust was when Berbatov twice exchanged passes with Patrice Evra close to his own area, then set Nani flying down the opposite wing with his own exquisite pass, before arriving in the Blackburn box at just the right moment to thrash the ball past Robinson.
"Dimitar's performance was great," said Carrick. "His goals were of the highest order. The one just after half-time when he played the one-twos is up there for the goal of the season. It was something special.
"We all know scoring five in a game doesn't happen very often, so I am really pleased for him. I am sure he will go on to score many more for us."
Source: PA
Source: PA