Everton 0-1 United: Sesko Again as Reds Win Ugly

Manchester United ground out a crucial away win against a difficult, well-managed side, one that keeps United head and shoulders above our top-4 rivals

Benjamin Sesko came off the bench again and made the difference again, finishing calmly on 71 minutes to give us a 1-0 win at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium. In a tight, scrappy game with very little quality, one lethal counter-attack settled it.

We didn’t control the game for long spells. Everton had possession, crosses and corners. But when the moment came we took our chance and they didn’t. And when the pressure came late on, we stood up to it.

That’s five wins from six under Carrick now. Not always pretty, but effective.

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A Slow Burner on Merseyside

The first half was hard work.

We had more of the ball but didn’t do enough with it. Everton pressed well and everything felt rushed and slightly off. Amad nearly scrambled one in after Pickford fumbled, but Tarkowski cleared off the line. Dalot went close with a screamer, but that was about as close as either side came before the break.

Bruno tried to speed things up but a lot of passes were getting cut out. Cunha and Mbeumo worked hard but we weren’t really getting in behind.

At the other end, Lammens dealt with what he had to. Garner’s free-kick was comfortable enough and Everton’s threat was mostly from wide areas rather than clear-cut chances.

It felt like one of those games where the first goal would decide it.

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Super Sub Sesko

United were under the cosh for the majority of the second half, and just before the hour, Carrick brought Sesko on for Amad.

The goal actually starts with Sesko being involved deeper, then continuing his run. Cunha sprayed a brilliant pass out to Bryan Mbeumo, who drove forward and slipped the pass inside at the right moment. Sesko had shown lightning-quick pace to arrive ahead of Tarkowski, and slipped a perfect first-time finish past Pickford.

He’s now scored three in his last four and every time he comes on he looks like he believes he’ll get something. You can see the confidence growing and the big question now is how long he stays a “super-sub”.

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Proper Defending to See It Out

United continued to soak up pressure until the final whistle, with Everton having ten corners to our one.

We had to defend properly, and to be fair, we did.

Lammens was excellent. His save from Michael Keane late on was top class; a strong hand to tip it over. He claimed well, punched well, and looked calm even after that early scare when he was nearly charged down inside the first minute.

Maguire and Yoro dealt with plenty, Shaw tucked in well, and we cleared everything that came near us. It wasn’t glamorous but it was disciplined.

Winning ugly is an art form that great teams have the ability to do. It rarely happened under Ruben Amorim, but last night we ground one out.

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Player Ratings

Lammens – 8.5 (MOTM)
A massive performance. Big save from Keane and handled the aerial pressure well all night.

Dalot – 7
Energetic and positive, especially first half. Kept going defensively too.

Maguire – 8
Cleared everything late on and led the back line well when it got scrappy.

Yoro – 7
Good recovery pace and calm under pressure.

Shaw – 7
Solid defensively, didn’t get forward much.

Casemiro – 6
Worked hard but looked slightly off the pace at times.

Mainoo – 6
Quiet game. A couple of nice touches but didn’t fully impose himself.

Amad – 6
Bright early but didn’t influence it enough before coming off.

Bruno – 6
Tried to force things at times but kept demanding the ball.

Cunha – 6.5
Not heavily involved overall but that diagonal pass for the goal showed his quality.

Mbeumo – 7
Assist and constant running. Made the key moment happen.

Subs:
Sesko – 8: Took his chance brilliantly. Has to be pushing for a start now.
Mazraoui – 6: Did his job late on.
Heaven – N/A: Late minutes.

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Next Steps

It’s Crystal Palace at Old Trafford next. On paper, it’s another game we should win.

The last three games against Fulham, West Ham and Everton have been tough, but we’ve picked up 7 out of 9 points. It would be nice to have a drama-free match with a difficult run of games beyond, including Newcastle, Villa, Bournemouth and Chelsea.

Watch this space.