Many players in the Manchester United squad have enjoyed an upturn in performance after Michael Carrick took over in January, but Micah Richards and Gary Lineker were particularly impressed with one star after his performance against Fulham.
Manchester United snatched a dramatic late victory as Benjamin Šeško struck in stoppage time to secure a 3–2 Premier League win over Fulham on Sunday.
United started brightly, with Amad and Harry Maguire both going close early, while Senne Lammens was forced into a smart save at the opposite end. The deadlock was broken just before the 20-minute mark when Casemiro rose highest to head home Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick at the back post.
Leading 1–0 at the break, United faced a much-improved Fulham after half-time. Matheus Cunha produced a superb finish to extend the advantage, but Fulham responded when Raúl Jiménez converted from the penalty spot after earning the foul himself. Deep into added time, Kevin unleashed a brilliant strike to level the score at 2–2.
Just as the match appeared destined for a draw, substitute Šeško delivered the decisive moment with a late winner, sealing all three points. The result made it three wins from three for Michael Carrick and kept United firmly in the top four.
Kobbie Mainoo is back to his best
Having started the previous two games against Arsenal and Man City, Kobbie Mainoo once again saw himself starting against Fulham, partnering Casemiro in the midfield.
After seemingly being frozen out of the squad by Ruben Amorim, not starting any Premier League games, Mainoo has put on three stellar performances in a row to show the former coach just how wrong he was for not utilising the 20-year-old.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football, Gary Lineker reflected on the midfielder’s return to the starting eleven, predicting that he could be in the running for a starting place in England’s World Cup squad.
“Kobbie Mainoo, he’s come back, and we were all going, ‘What?’ He’s such a good footballer. I mean, he was arguably England’s best player at the last tournament.
“Now he’s back in the starting lineup. I thought he played very well again today. He’d have to be in the running for one of those pivot kind of players.”
Mainoo has handled the immense pressure well
There was a very large and vocal United camp that was adamant that Mainoo should have started, and after not starting for the entire campaign, there was always going to be pressure on the young midfielder to have an immediate impact on the side.
“So, especially with what his brother put [on] the T-shirt, ‘Free Kobbie,’ and all that sort of stuff, all eyes would be on him.
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When asked about Mainoo’s return to the side and if he’s in contention for a starting spot in England’s World Cup squad, Micah Richards responded, “Yeah, definitely, and it’s just confidence as well. You know what I like about this more than anything, Gaz, there was a lot of pressure on him going back into the team.
“So it’s immense pressure going into that, and if he has a bad game, everyone can say, well, that’s why you’re not playing. So he had to, you know, manage his game, and he’s done it really well because he’s a good player.”
With the World Cup being such a high-pressure environment, the 20-year-old is certainly putting himself in good standing for a starting spot in the squad when it recently looked like he may not even make Thomas Tuchel’s shortlist for the tournament in the summer.
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