Man Utd drew 1-1 with West Ham in the Premier League and here are the talking points and moments you might have missed from the game.
Sesko scored a brilliant late goal
Manchester United drew 1-1 with West Ham in the Premier League on Tuesday. Michael Carrick had won his first four games in charge as interim boss and looked set to taste his first defeat since his appointment.
West Ham opened the scoring shortly after play resumed for the second half. Tomas Soucek latched onto a cross from Jarrod Bowen to score what looked like being the matchwinner at the London Stadium.
United struggled to respond and created very little as they chased an equaliser in the closing stages, but Benjamin Sesko scored late in added time to salvage a point.
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Here are the talking points and moments you might have missed:
Sesko is a winner
Sesko scored three goals in Darren Fletcher’s two games in charge, but he was moved to the bench by Carrick. The 22-year-old did not sulk and scored a late winner from the bench in the 3-2 win against Fulham.
After overlooking Sesko again last weekend, it felt like Carrick would reward Sesko for his strong run of form by starting him against West Ham, but he had to settle for another cameo from the bench.
United found it difficult to penetrate West Ham’s backline and the game was screaming out for Sesko by half-time. The Slovenia international was the only player on the bench not wearing a coat when the substitutes took their place for the second half, but Carrick took his time to get Sesko on the pitch.
Carrick said it’s “never easy” to pick his line-up when he spoke ahead of facing West Ham. The former midfielder had not put a foot wrong in four games, but got his team selection wrong for the first time.
That did not stop Sesko from salvaging a point in the final seconds of added time, though. The finish to secure a draw was spectacular, yet Sesko remained calm and urged his teammates to rush back to prepare for the restart. That mentality will serve him well in Manchester – he wanted more.
Carrick’s reaction
More than half of Casemiro’s goals for United have been headers, and the Brazilian thought he’d added another to his back catalogue when he found the net in the 63rd minute.
United had fallen behind at the beginning of the second half, and Casemiro came close to producing a response, but VAR chalked the goal off because he was offside by the matter of inches.
Carrick’s body language when Casemiro’s header hit the net was telling. The 44-year-old allows himself a rare release of emotion on the touchline when United score, but calmly walked back to the bench, seemingly unsure of whether the goal would stand.
United’s interim coach did not react when VAR announced the goal had been disallowed. Carrick seemingly already knew the outcome before the final decision. He could also sense the game slipping away, but introducing Sesko in the 69th minute was a change that should have been made much sooner.
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Mbeumo’s work rate
The first half was dull at the London Stadium, partly because United struggled to get their attackers involved. Bryan Mbeumo was quiet and didn’t offer much going forward, however, there was a moment when he demonstrated why he’s a manager’s dream to have in the dressing room.
Mbeumo started down the middle before moving to the left, and at one point he sprinted back to left-back to help stop an attack between Bowen and Crysencio Summerville.
The Cameroon international has been an excellent signing because of the quality he’s provided in front of goal, but providing defensive cover when it’s required is just as important.
Mbeumo isn’t afraid to do the dirty work when his teammates need a hand. United have had wingers in recent years who did not have the same attitude, which is one of many reasons why Mbeumo is an upgrade.
Analyst team impact
United have significantly improved their set-piece record. The Reds scored from a clever set-piece against Tottenham last weekend and came close to scoring from another well-worked routine against West Ham.
Fernandes sent a well-weighted, low-driven ball in to Luke Shaw, who was able to lose his marker because West Ham were not expecting him to be the target.
Shaw connected well, only to be denied by Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the line. Carrick praised United analyst Kaita Hasegawa for his role in designing the set-piece goal against Spurs, and Hasegawa was spotted chatting among the analyst team in the press box when Shaw’s shot was blocked.
Travis Binnion was spotted sitting alongside the analyst team again. Binnion is part of Carrick’s backroom staff and sits in the stands to relay in-game tactical information to the bench.
Shaw’s attempt was not successful, but involving a player with a poor scoring record from the set-piece highlights the analyst team’s creativity.