Benjamin Sesko was the Man Utd match-winner at Everton as his second-half goal handed Michael Carrick a fifth win in six games as the club's head coach.
Benjamin Sesko is becoming integral for Manchester United
View Image
You can't say that Michael Carrick isn't a quick learner. Having taken too long to get Benjamin Sesko on against West Ham 13 days ago, he was more decisive on Merseyside. The game wasn't an hour old when the Manchester United head coach corrected his error of not starting the striker by getting him on earlier.
Sesko bailed out Carrick with an injury-time equaliser at the London Stadium. On this occasion, he arrived with the game still goalless, but with United's problems in front of goal just as glaring. For most of the night, it felt as if they had learnt little from an evening of frustration in the capital nearly two weeks ago.
Against the Hammers, United had dominated possession, but struggled to turn it into chances. Once Amad had seen an early shot cleared off the line by James Tarkowski, it felt very similar on the banks of the Mersey.
That made the call not to start Sesko after two goals in 61 minutes for Carrick, both as a super sub, feel like something of an oversight. A fluid front three had struggled to penetrate West Ham's disciplined defence and they were getting no joy from Everton either.
Amad, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha were rotating positions as if on a carousel, but at times it ended with five or six United players so close together in central areas you could have thrown a blanket over them. It meant the build-up play had to be perfect, without a figurehead to hit in the penalty area.
It put a premium on United keeping the ball and working openings, but, as at West Ham, it was in areas that weren't going to hurt Everton, and they couldn't string enough passes together to get players up the pitch. When Casemiro tried to play a straight 50-yard pass to find Mbeumo's run in behind, it felt like it summed up United's problems. They had to be perfect to create a chance.
It was also perhaps the only time in the first half that a player made a run in behind. Makeshift full-backs James Garner and Jarrad Branthwaite were given a free pass, with Cunha and Amad spending more of their time in the middle. United's only opportunities after their early chance saw Diogo Dalot, Mbeumo and Fernandes shoot off target from distance.
Carrick seemed more alert to those issues than he had been at West Ham. United began the second half by trying to hold their width more and Dalot twice made runs from deep in behind the Everton defence. It made the introduction of Sesko before the hour mark an obvious move.
And it also meant his impact this time would be even more beneficial than it had been in London. United were actually under pressure when he struck, but having struggled to break down a deep defence, Carrick's team struck when Everton pushed men forward, sensing their moment in front of the imposing South Stand.
When an Everton corner broke to Cunha, he delivered a sweeping pass to send Mbeumo clear. As he dribbled forward, Sesko put on the afterburners to charge through the middle, meeting Mbeumo's pass with a first-time finish past Jordan Pickford.
Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source.Click here to activate or add us as a Preferred Source in your Google search settings
Three summer signings combined to prise open the deadlock and a fourth kept the door shut at the other end. Senne Lammens made a couple of excellent saves, particularly one from Michael Keane, and stood firm under a barrage from set-pieces.
Everton's desire to make life difficult for the rookie goalkeeper was turning the game into a feisty one. Fernandes became embroiled in a couple of arguments, and Cunha took delight in taunting former United midfielder Garner in injury time.
The celebrations at full-time showed what a second win of the season on Merseyside meant to United. They have taken a firm grip on the race for Champions League football, capitalising on dropped points for Aston Villa and Chelsea, and must now be eyeing up third place in the Premier League.
They will need to play better than this to get there, but having learnt his Sesko lesson, Carrick will surely hand the striker a first start under him this weekend. Substitutes have now delivered four goals in six games under Carrick, having managed two in 21 for Ruben Amorim this season.
That is just another area where Carrick has engineered an uplift since lifting the gloom at Old Trafford. But at some point, those substitutes deserve to become starters. We have surely reached that point with Sesko.