Benjamin Sesco scored again off the bench to save Manchester United from a stalemate against Everton, extend their unbeaten run to 10 games and return Michael Carrick’s side to fourth place.
The 22-year-old Slovenian striker scored the third goal off the bench with a deft counterattack in the second half. He did the same thing last time out against Fulham and West Ham, and no player in the league this season has scored more goals as a substitute.
Three of United’s summer signings were involved in the transition move, which began with a fine ball from Matheus Cunha to Brian Mbeumo.
The combination was timely for United, who had previously been uninspired and struggled to overcome an Everton side who had failed to win in their previous five games at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Both teams had lacked quality up until that point, but all eyes were on United, who had been given an incentive to get back into the race for Champions League qualification after Chelsea dropped points against Burnley on Saturday.
Everton, hoping to prevent defeat at home, responded well to trailing behind but were thwarted by a late clinic from Senne Lamence, who made four saves and made four clearances.
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Benjamin Sesco scores Man United’s first goal after a brilliant counterattack
Lamence drew attention as he used his outstretched arm to block Michael Keane’s long-range attack and ensured his team crossed the line, giving United their first away league clean sheet since March 2025.
Lamence: “If we defend well, we can win any game.”
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Manchester United’s Senne Lamence makes a big stop to deny Michael Keane.
Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lamence told Sky Sports:
“It was more about hard work and a sense of unity on defense.
“We weren’t at our best. I think we have to be better with the ball. But we know that if we work together defensively and don’t concede goals, our attacking players will always give us chances. One flash and we can score, and if we keep them to zero we can win this tough game on the road.”
“We’ve been playing really well together since the coach took over, pretty much all season in fact.
“We knew we had a chance if our defense held us to zero points. It wasn’t our best game, but sometimes if you work hard you can have your best game.”
Carrick: ‘Sesco will be a big player for United’
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick on the win against Everton:
“We won the first four games in a row and performed really well. I expected there would be a period where I had to find myself a little bit and get results.
“We did that to a certain extent at West Ham and we did that again today. That spirit, that sacrifice and that willingness to work for each other as a team. The way we had to defend the box together at the end of the game. In the end it was a big win for us with a clean sheet.”
About playing after 13 days off:
“It wasn’t easy for us tonight. We’ve never had an easy game against Everton and we expected it to be a tough game.
“Our players had practiced well and felt good coming into this game. It was one of those nights for us. We had to dig deep. We struggled at times, but that was our best game to win.”
About Benjamin Sesko:
“He’s in a good place right now. We’ve had really good talks. Patience is one thing for him. He’s here waiting and waiting to develop as a player.”
“He understands that. He’s going to be a big player for us for a long time, I’m sure of that.”
“We have to manage it. We have some top forward players. He has made a big difference for us on the pitch.”
Moyes: We switched off and United punished us
Everton manager David Moyes told Sky Sports about the 1-0 defeat.
“I’m not happy with the scoreline. We have to win games to move on and we haven’t been able to do that as much as we would have liked, especially at home.”
“But in terms of performance, we lost narrowly to Manchester United. We beat them narrowly at Old Trafford at the beginning of the season. It was us who were celebrating then, it’s them now.
“Overall, I think we did really well in a lot of areas. The counter-attack was over, but I think we made a huge effort to get goals, but we just didn’t have the quality to get them.”
About United’s goal:
“I looked at it. The midfielder crossed the ball into the box. There was a left-back there. Off the ball was not organized.”
“You have to give them credit for their quick attack, we’ve seen them do it recently and they’re doing it really well. They have players up front who have the ability to get away quickly and create chances.”
“We were in pretty good control for most of the game, but at that moment we switched off and gave them a chance.”
