Manchester United claimed a hard-fought 1-0 win over Everton on Monday night after managing to repel the pressure the home side brought on Senne Lammens from set pieces
Iliman Ndiaye of Everton holds back Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United (L) and Casemiro of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Everton and Manchester United
Everton tried to put pressure on Senne Lammens from set pieces(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Senne Lammens admitted that he found Everton's direct approach "too much" but was proud with how Manchester United dealt with the physicality. United left Merseyside with a hard-fought 1-0 win on Monday night thanks to Benjamin Sesko's goal on the counter-attack and some dogged defending.
Sesko's side-footed finish on the break broke the deadlock in the 71st minute and United kept their third clean sheet of the Michael Carrick era to move back into fourth place in the Premier League. They have now won five and drawn one of their six games since Carrick took over as interim boss and are full of confidence.
Sesko's sixth goal in his last seven games stole the headlines, but Lammens' solid performance in goal also caught the eye. While he made a stunning save from Michael Keane's long-range effort, it was the way he dealt with crosses into the box that pleased him most.
"Everton are a physical team, their defenders are really big," Lammens told Sky Sports. "We knew the corners and set pieces would be difficult. It's a strength of mine (dealing with crosses), but today it was a bit over the top! I had to be behind the line in order to come out. It was too much, but it can be difficult for the referee to see it.
"Sometimes you can't be thinking too much about players around you, because then you aren't thinking about the ball. My defenders can create space for me, so I have opportunity to come and punch the ball away. But it is getting more and more difficult."
Lammens was named player of the match in a tight affair at Hill Dickinson Stadium, with his assured handling a far cry from the days of Andre Onana between the posts. The Belgium international joined from Royal Antwerp for £18.2million in September and has been a steadying presence at the back.
"Today was about the hard work, defending together. We know we didn't do our best, especially first half, it was difficult," he added. "We have to be better on the ball but if we defend well, don't give balls away then we have the players up top to make the difference.
Senne Lammens of Manchester United makes a save whilst under pressure from Thierno Barry
Senne Lammens had to deal with a lot of crosses into the box(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
View 2 Images
"I always want to be confident. Since the manger has come in we have been defending well together. we know if me and the defence keep it [goals against] to zero then we have a chance to win."
Carrick showered his goalkeeper with praise after the match. "I thought he was outstanding tonight," he said. "I think as a goalkeeper, really, you couldn’t expect, you couldn’t hope for much more. Safe hands, calm, composed, came and punched when you needed to and calmed things down. I thought it was an exemplary performance. So it was delighted for him.”
He added: “Listen, that was a tough place. That last 15 minutes, the amount of crosses and corners and things that you had to deal with and a couple of shots that he just catches and takes the sting out of it. So to be able to do that in such a manner was obviously pleasing for us.”
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Content Image
Content Image