Sir Jim Ratcliffe must be seriously conflicted. Manchester United’s advance towards the riches of the Champions League continued to gather pace under Michael Carrick thanks to the impact of Slovenia’s Benjamin Sesko for the second game in succession. The summer signing came off the bench to condemn Everton to another home defeat with a clinical finish and lift United to fourth in the table, only three points behind Aston Villa.
Sesko, who preserved Carrick’s unbeaten record as United manager last time out at West Ham, was again their savour to settle a hard-fought contest with David Moyes’s side. It is now five wins and one draw from Carrick’s six games in charge. The audition for the permanent job could not have gone much better thus far.
Flat starts have been a feature of Everton’s run of poor home results, but United’s first visit to Hill Dickinson Stadium sparked improvement on and off the pitch. Just as Moyes had wanted.
Both teams contributed to a frenetic, intense opening and the crowd responded in kind. Thierno Barry charged down Senne Lammens’s clearance straight from kick‑off, with the United goalkeeper relieved to turn around and see the rebound trickle out for a goal‑kick, while Kobbie Mainoo squeezed a shot past Jordan Pickford from the visitors’ first attack. Fortunately for Everton James Tarkowski was on the ground behind his keeper and scrambled the ball clear in front of the goalline.
There was a little more finesse and control to United’s attacking play with the fluid front line of Amad Diallo, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha testing Everton’s concentration levels. That said, neither goalkeeper was seriously troubled after the Mainoo chance. Barry was isolated up front for Everton, whose brightest moments stemmed from Kiernan Dewsbury‑Hall breaking from midfield. Iliman Ndiaye was too deep, too often to provide effective support. A poor final ball, whether in execution or choice, was frequently United’s undoing.
James Garner did force Lammens into his first save of the night with a dipping free-kick from 30 yards. That arrived in the 39th minute. Pickford pushed away an angled drive by Diogo Dalot and looked on as long‑range shots from Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes drifted harmlessly wide. Defences remained resolutely on top throughout the first half.
United’s backline included Leny Yoro after Lisandro Martínez was ruled out with a minor calf injury. It was Yoro’s first Premier League start since the draw at Leeds on 4 January that witnessed Rubem Amorim’s self‑defeating outburst against the United hierarchy.
Ndiaye demonstrated his importance in the final third for Everton seconds after the restart. Spinning away from Casemiro, the Senegal international created an opening for Dewsbury-Hall inside the United penalty area. The midfielder opted to find Harrison Armstrong in space on the left but the youngster placed his shot straight at Lammens.
Mbeumo had a clearer opportunity to end the stalemate moments later. Mainoo did well to win possession and whip over a dangerous cross from the right that Tarkowski sliced skywards. The ball dropped to the United forward at the back post but he volleyed high over Pickford and the Everton goal. An awkward chance from a tight angle, admittedly, but Mbeumo would have expected to hit the target at such close range. The striker then took a painful blow to the chest from Tarkowski when the Everton captain barged into him while shielding Pickford. No action was taken by the match officials.
Unlike the first half, the lively opening to the second period was thankfully sustained. Moyes’s team were largely responsible for the overall improvement as they pressed in greater numbers and to better effect. Ndiaye’s influence increased and both Dewsbury-Hall and Idrissa Gana Gueye went close as the pressure from the home side intensified.
Carrick responded by introducing Sesko for Diallo just before the hour mark. The £73.7m summer signing would prove to be much more than the outlet that United required. Thirteen minutes after his introduction Sesko applied the finishing touch to a superb counterattack by the visitors.
Everton were encamped deep in the United half when Cunha collected a headed clearance and released Mbeumo with an exquisite crossfield ball. Mbeumo beat Michael Keane for pace and had the presence of mind to spot Sesko sprinting through the middle unmarked. The pass inside was precise and so was the finish, swept first time beyond Pickford’s left hand and inviting the substitute to celebrate in front of a delirious away section.
