Manchester United were humbled 3-0 by Manchester City in a one-sided derby at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
It was United’s second league defeat in just four matches, raising more questions about Ruben Amorim’s project.
Phil Foden’s early header set the tone before Erling Haaland struck twice in the second half to seal the win, even with City nowhere near top gear.
All eyes were on Benjamin Sesko, who led the line for United in his first-ever Premier League start.
Manager Ruben Amorim talked about Sesko after the game (via BBC Sport): “He is going to feel that he is in the strongest league in the world.
“We can help Sesko to use his qualities, but it will take time.”
Sesko let down by his teammates
The 22-year-old started brightly by spinning sharply in the fourth minute and testing Gianluigi Donnarumma with an effort.
Despite being out of the box, Sesko did not think twice before taking a shot.
It was a refreshing sight compared to Rasmus Hojlund’s hesitancy in similar situations last season.
However, the rest of his time on the pitch reminded us of the struggles faced by the Danish striker with this fractured unit.
Sesko touched the ball just 19 times before being hooked off in the 80th minute.
The Slovenian won only three of his nine duels and lost possession eight times.
Blame cannot rest on Sesko alone. The players around him offered little to no support.
The creative machine Bruno Fernandes was anonymous for the entire game.
Patrick Dorgu found himself in promising positions but wasted them with poor delivery.
It is pretty basic to put floating crosses into the box if you have a towering centre-forward up front.
Amorim must demand much more from his wing-backs, especially after United spent £73 million to bring Sesko in this summer.
Stats from Sofascore.com