Manchester United needed a spark at the Hill Dickinson Stadium and Benjamin Sesko provided it, having started the game as a substitute.
United were struggling at Everton before Carrick made changes
United were struggling at Everton before Carrick made changes
View Image
As the half-time whistle was blown at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday night, you got the sense we'd seen this movie before.
Manchester United saw plenty of the ball in the opening 45 minutes, yet clear-cut chances to break the deadlock were at a premium. Aside from Amad's early effort that was hooked off the line by James Tarkowski and a long-range Diogo Dalot strike, United looked toothless as their forward line struggled to click into gear.
It was a similar tale at the London Stadium 13 days prior. United dominated the ball in the first half but caused West Ham very few problems. They continued to probe in the second half but were kept at arm's length until a late moment of Benjamin Sesko magic bailed them out.
Despite making a substitution that proved vital in maintaining his unbeaten start as United boss in east London, Carrick's changes were questioned in the wake of the draw at West Ham. United were crying out for a focal point to their attack, yet the in-form Sesko remained on the bench until the 69th minute.
Carrick's reluctance to make an early second-half change that night was no anomaly. The former Middlesbrough boss rarely makes a substitute before the 65-minute mark if not later, and had he abandoned that plan at West Ham and introduced Sesko sooner there's every chance he could still be sitting on a 100 per cent record as United head coach.
Those who have followed Carrick's career in management closely will have thought very little of Sesko warming up five minutes into the second half at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, but the simple fact was Carrick needed to make a change. And what a change it was.
Sesko was introduced just 13 minutes into the second period and immediately posed a different threat to an Everton backline that had looked comfortable for the opening 58 minutes.
Carrick spoke ahead of the game about United's striker-less system, saying: "The boys along the frontline have got different strengths, they can play in different roles, which we feel is a strength of ours during the game to mix it about. Sometimes they've found themselves in other positions, as long as they play it well and they understand the role they are playing. There's huge flexibility and I don't mind that flexibility across the frontline."
The issue was their forward players didn't seem to understand the role they were playing against Everton. Too often they would fail to stretch the Toffees backline by making similar runs and United's play, particularly in transitions, became a bit of a mess. The introduction of Sesko brought simplicity to United's forward play, often an undervalued facet of modern-day football in a world of false nines and fluid frontlines.
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
With Sesko on the pitch, every United forward player knew exactly what was expected of them, and the difference in class between United and Everton eventually told.
Had Carrick left the introduction of Sesko until later in the game, perhaps he would now be mulling over more dropped points away from home.
Having the courage to adapt in-game is something every successful manager needs. Ruben Amorim couldn't do it, Carrick has shown he can.
Content cannot be displayed without consent