Manchester United will have only the final result to be deflated about against Arsenal as they fell 1-0 in the Premier League opener despite putting in a great display.
Arsenal were pinned back in their own half for most of the game, and relied on counter-attacks and set-pieces to threaten Man Utd.
They did score from one, and the game afterwards was effectively United’s attack vs Arsenal’s defence and the odd transition threat.
That makes the defeat hurt even more, but Ruben Amorim at least has two clear pieces of evidence based on the game about who his most important player will be.
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Man Utd’s two critical moments prove their MVP
The minute is 27th, and United are starting to pile on the pressure on Arsenal after shaking off a lackadaisical opener conceded via a corner.
Bryan Mbeumo finds himself on the edge of the box, and he patiently waits for an overlapping run, which Diogo Dalot ably provides.
Dalot crosses it into the box first time, but that cross is ruled offside. However, there was a bigger learning from that passage of play, one that would repeat itself 15 minutes later.
The minute is 42nd. This time, Patrick Dorgu finds himself in plenty of space on the opposite wing. He plays a cross into the dangerous six-yard area, but there’s only Bryan Mbeumo huffing and puffing at the back post.
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For Dalot’s cross, even that option wasn’t present, as no United player was in the attacking box, let alone the six-yard area.
Those two pieces of play made it awfully clear that United will create chances this season. They just need a focal point up top to finish them off.
Enter Benjamin Sesko.
Benjamin Sesko will need to be Man Utd’s MVP
It is a lot to ask of a 22-year-old playing his first season in English football, but the game against Arsenal, especially in the first half, showed he doesn’t have to be the saviour.
He just needs to do the basics right. Run the channels, hold the ball up, and crash the box for tap-ins, because he has what Rasmus Hojlund never did.
Hojlund was often asked to be the whole attack unto himself at times, but United proved against Arsenal that it’s not the case anymore.
Sesko just needs to be at the right place, and his teammates will pick him out more often than not.
His stock has risen considerably in the minutes he wasn’t on the pitch. United were screaming out for a rangy poacher.
Sesko is that rangy poacher who can be United’s MVP this season.