Man United manager Carrick hails goalscorer Sesko but reserves special praise for this player: ‘It was an exempalary performance’


Michael Carrick praised lone goalscorer Benjamin Sesko after Manchester United’s victory over Everton, but reserved special praise for this footballer.

Lone goalscorer Benjamin Sesko was not the only player interim manager Michael Carrick hailed in the media after a 1-0 win over Everton in the English Premier League on Monday, but goalkeeper Senne Lammens was also appreciated.

The 23-year-old Lammens keeps growing in stature at Man United in his debut season as he made a few crucial saves against Everton, helping the club earn a third clean sheet in six games under Carrick.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

“We had to do a lot of work. Credit to Everton they made it difficult, made us defend our box a lot. The spirit with which we defended the box was top class,” Carrick said after the match at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Carrick hails Lammens, Sesko

“Senne was oustanding tonight,” added Carrick. “You couldn’t hope for much more from a goalkeeper. It was an exempalary performance, so delighted for him.

“You want (a goalkeeper) to take the chaos away and Senne is that. That calmness and composure helps those in front of him.”

Carrick has now won five out of six matches as United’s interim coach, as the team jumped to fourth spot in the league table, three points clear of Liverpool and Chelsea.

The victory against Everton came through a Sesko goal, his sixth goal in seven appearances since Ruben Amorim was fired in January. The 22-year-old Sesko is yet to start under Carrick in six matches, but has scored from the bench in three of his last four matches.

The only goal against Everton also involved Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo. The attacking players Man United bought in last summer. It was Cunha’s pass to Mbeumo that he squared off to Sesko to score the winner.

“It was a ruthless finish, I like the way he put it away with real confidence,” said Carrick. “Great play from Matheus and Bryan to set it up. Delighted for Ben again, coming on and making the difference.”

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

Man United’s next match is against Crystal Palace at home on Sunday.

End of Article


No trim yet for Ilett: West Ham expose Carrick’s tactical rigidity as United’s winning run ends


Man United’s winning rhythm was clipped by West Ham as they exposed Michael Carrick’s tactical rigidity, leaving superfan Frank Ilett’s scissors on hold.

Viral Manchester United fan, Frank Ilett, will have to wait longer to cut his hair as Michael Carrick’s side fell agonisingly short of winning their fifth consecutive match. Man United were held to a 1-1 draw by the inspiring West Ham on Wednesday in the English Premier League as Benjamin Sesko secured a point for the Red Devils.

United had won the first four matches under former player and interim manager Carrick, but as per a
condition set by Ilett in 2024, a victory over West Ham would have seen him finally cut his hair after over 500 days. But United failed to win their fifth consecutive match and Ilett would now have wait longer.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

West Ham show Carrick’s United still have layers to unlock

That, however, would not be Man United’s major concern. The biggest worry would be how West Ham and manager Nuno Espírito Santo diffused a team that was high on confidence. United came into the game after beating Man City, Arsenal, Fulham and Tottenham, but the Hammers produced a perfect performance at the London Stadium.

One area where Carrick erred was that his approach was very similar to that last four games. He didn’t change much despite West Ham sitting deep, and then got lucky on the counterattack as Tomas Soucek put them in front in the 50th minute.

It took till 69th minute for Carrick to bring on Benjamin Sesko in place of Matheus Cunha, finally changing tactics to play some long ball instead of trying to stitch passes and score a goal. The introduction of the 1.95 meters tall striker Sesko from Slovenia finally paid off in the dying minutes of the match as he scored an equaliser in the 96th minute.

A very Man United result, but they would have wanted a win.

“I think we were a little disappointed and we were definitely not at our best. I’m a little frustrated at that,” Carrick told TNT Sports. “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.”

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

“Credit to the boys for coming back again, it is a great trait to have in the team,” Carrick added. “There are positives to take from it, you can’t win every game, we certainly didn’t want to come away from here without a point.”

United next play against Everton on Monday night.

In other EPL matches, Chelsea blew away a 2-0 lead to play out a 2-2 draw against Leeds at home. Newcastle defeated Spurs 2-1, while Bournemouth won 2-1 against Everton.

End of Article