Sir Jim Ratcliffe must be seriously conflicted, among other things. Manchester United’s advance towards the riches of the Champions League gathered momentum at Everton thanks to Slovenia’s Benjamin Sesko, Brazil’s Matheus Cunha and Belgium’s Senne Lammens. While United’s largest single shareholder creates division, the unity of Michael Carrick’s diverse team proved invaluable at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Sesko made a telling impact off the bench for the second game in succession to secure a slender but precious victory in the race for Champions League qualification. Having preserved Carrick’s unbeaten record as United manager last time out at West Ham, the expensive summer signing delivered victory with a clinical finish to take his team fourth in the table, three points clear of Chelsea and Liverpool. Carrick now has five wins and one draw from his six games at the helm. His audition for the permanent job could not have gone much better thus far.
United’s latest victory, in their first outing since Ratcliffe claimed the UK has been “colonised by immigrants”, was built on Lammens’ solidity in goal as much as Sesko’s improving form in front of it. The goalkeeper was superb in dealing with a procession of Everton corners aimed under his crossbar in the closing stages. “Instead of creating chaos you want your keeper to take the chaos away and Senne does that,” said Carrick. “His calmness and composure helps those in front of him an awful lot.”
David Moyes, angered by another Everton home defeat but not a more encouraging performance, was more to the point in his praise of Lammens. “We kept trying that [corner] routine thinking their goalie wouldn’t do as well as he did tonight, but he was bloody brilliant.”
Everton are without a win in their last seven home games in all competitions and have suffered six league defeats at their new stadium this season. They will need a transformation similar to that enjoyed by Sesko in a United shirt to achieve the European qualification that appeared within reach not so long ago. The 22-year-old now has six goals in his last seven appearances for United having scored only twice in his first 17 outings.
Both teams contributed to a frenetic, intense opening and the crowd responded in kind. Thierno Barry charged down Lammens’ 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 Cunha testing Everton’s concentration levels. That said, neither goalkeeper was seriously troubled after the Mainoo chance and the quality deteriorated. 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.
Harrison Armstrong had a good chance for Everton early in the second half but placed his shot too close to 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. Iliman Ndiaye’s influence increased and both Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Idrissa 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. “It was a ruthless finish that sums up where Ben is at the moment,” said a delighted Carrick.