Manchester United won 2-1 against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday and here are the moments you might have missed.
Sesko scored again on Sunday
Sesko scored again on Sunday
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Manchester United won 2-1 against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon. United struggled in the first half and trailed at the interval after a headed goal from Maxence Lacroix.
The momentum of the game swung in United's favour in the second half when Lacroix brought Matheus Cunha down in the box. United were awarded a penalty, Lacroix was shown a red card, and Bruno Fernandes converted to fire United back into the contest.
Benjamin Sesko was making his first start since Michael Carrick's appointment and he made it 2-1 with a brilliant header. Sesko has now scored seven goals in his last eight appearances for United.
Here are the moments you might have missed:
Sesko's roar to the crowd
Sesko is the man of the moment and he marked his first start of Carrick's tenure with a superb goal. He attacked the cross into the box like an old-school centre-forward, and there was impressive power on the header.
The reaction from Sesko after his celebration wouldn't have been picked up by the TV cameras, though. The 22-year-old flew off his feet, he was mobbed by his teammates, and then let out a huge roar to the crowd once his teammates were approaching the halfway line to prepare for the restart.
Sesko savoured every second of the celebration - and rightly so. After signing in August, he had a difficult start to his time at Old Trafford, but he is now the most in-form striker in the Premier League.
Carrick's reaction was interesting to observe when Sesko scored. The 44-year-old remains composed on the touchline during matches, but he passionately fist-pumped when the ball hit the net. Sesko has been superb under Carrick.
Shaw relief
Luke Shaw quickly got back to his feet after a clash of heads a few minutes into the game, however, his afternoon's work was soon curtailed. The United left-back looked to have picked up a knock after a collision with Daniel Munoz, and his despondent reaction as he left the field suggested he had suffered an injury.
Shaw was starting his 28th consecutive Premier League game after a rare season without injury worries, and the sight of him trudging off the pitch was a worrying one.
However, Carrick confirmed after the game that Shaw had been suffering from an illness and it's hoped he will be back soon.
Response to Ratcliffe
There was a banner unfurled above the tunnel at Old Trafford reading: "MUFC, proudly colonised by immigrants." The faces of six players, Eric Cantona, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Park Ji-sung, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro and Amad, were pictured below the message directed to Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Last month, Ratcliffe claimed the United Kingdom had been "colonised" by immigrants. In an interview with Sky News about politics in Britain, the United co-owner suggested the government needed to make "difficult" decisions, which he claimed his Ineos regime had done at Old Trafford.
Ratcliffe has become a target during anti-Glazer protests, but it was the first time an anti-Ratcliffe banner had been spotted at a game. Interestingly, the banner was taken down for the second half.
Casemiro was a target
When coaching a team how to press, coaches identify 'pressing triggers', which are the times to press the opponent, and it seemed like Casemiro was a pressing trigger for Crystal Palace.
There was a moment in the first half when Casemiro picked up the ball around his own box, and he was immediately surrounded by four Palace shirts. One of the Palace analysts in the press box shouted: "Yes, yes."
There were other occasions when Casemiro was swamped when the ball was played into his feet. The Brazilian had half a second to react before he was pressed aggressively by Palace.
However, the complexion of the game changed in the second half when Palace went a man down after Lacroix's sending off, making it difficult for Palace to dispossess United through pressing.
Kukonki gains experience
Godwill Kukonki arrived with the squad at Old Trafford. The youngster was not named on the bench, but Carrick gave him the chance to be around the senior side to gain experience of another matchday.
Kukonki's only official squad inclusion this season came against Leeds at Elland Road at the beginning of January, which was Ruben Amorim's last game in charge. Kukonki was involved in Amorim's first training session at United in November 2024, and he made a strong impression.
The 18-year-old has taken part in several first-team training sessions and already has the physical attributes needed to excel in the men's game, so it would not be a surprise to see Carrick continue to involve Kukonki around the senior team for the remainder of the campaign.
Carrick has shown a keen interest in the academy, attending multiple youth games since his appointment, something Amorim controversially did not do during his 14-month tenure. Carrick understands the club more than his predecessor did.
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