Manchester United got the job done against Everton as they held on to claim an impressive 1-0 victory. But fans are less than happy with one player for his performance on the night.
Although United enjoyed the bulk of possession in the first half, they could not make their hosts pay. Amad Diallo saw an effort cleared off the line inside three minutes, before Diogo Dalot flashed a speculative effort from range narrowly wide.
With nothing to separate the teams at the break, chances fell to Harrison Armstrong and Bryan Mbeumo shortly after half-time, but neither could capitalise. However, Benjamin Sesko’s introduction paid dividends, as the Slovenian finished off a quick break emphatically.
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Everton poured forward in search of a late equaliser, but could not beat Senne Lammens. Three points takes United back into the Premier League’s top four, three points clear of Chelsea and Liverpool.
Poor Performance From United Star Nearly Costs Them
It proved to be a frustrating night on Merseyside for United as a unit. Quality was missing for large parts of the game, with the midfield lacking creativity while the attacking players lacked guile.
Chief among those who failed to make their mark at the Hill Dickinson Stadium was Amad Diallo. Playing off his favoured right side, he did manage to play two key passes in the game, but also only completed 74% of his attempted passes.
Check out Amad Diallo’s Stats vs Everton Below:
Amad Diallo vs Everton
Minutes Played
58
Shots
1
Shots on Target
1
Key Passes
2
Accurate Passes
17/23 (74%)
Dribbles (Successful)
2 (1)
Possession Lost
11
The Ivorian enjoyed mixed success when dribbling at the back line, but often found himself shut out by Jarrad Branthwaite and retreating Everton midfielders. Eventually, Amad was brought off for Sesko, which was the change that ultimately won them the game.
A long ball forward from Matheus Cunha picked out Mbeumo, before the Cameroon international slid the ball into the path of the on-rushing striker, who made no mistake. An easy finish? Perhaps. But Sesko’s instinct and work rate to get into that position was something United missed until his introduction.
On a run of five goals in his last six league appearances, Carrick would do well to pick the 22-year-old when United host Palace on Sunday. And that’s bad news for Amad, who simply has to show more if he’s to merit a spot in the starting XI.
Fans Condemn Amad for ‘Average’ Performance
United fans, reacting to Amad’s performance against Everton, were quick to call for Sesko after the Ivorian made a limited impact in the game. One wrote: “Sesko for Amad cannot happen soon enough. Get Mbeumo at RW.” And it was that call which ultimately led to the breakthrough.
Another added: “Amad has been rubbish. Running around with no purpose. Hasn’t made a good pass yet.” And there were further questions about his decision-making, as one fan stated: “Conversations to be had about Amad cos his decision-making is not getting any better, he needs to take that next step in his progression to be among the best in the world.”
That was echoed by another individual, who said: “Amad’s decision-making is horrendous. Hopefully will get better with age/experience.” And several believe that he needs to come out of the team for a period.
One wrote: “AMAD NEEDS TO HOLD BENCH FOR REST OF THE SEASON, HE’S AVERAGE.” And someone else said: “Cracking goal that. Sesko has to be starting games, adds a clinical edge and he’s clearly in form. Amad well off it for a few games now.”
The Athletic’s Adam Crafton also called for Amad to improve his game: “I like Amad as an option and think he’s very strong in certain games (actually against higher quality teams) but his output for goals/assists/clear chance creation has to be better if he’s going to be Man Utd’s first choice wide right player medium/long term.”
And one final fan said: “We need genuine competition for every single position in this squad. The lack of it is exactly why a player like Amad can just show up and deliver a performance like that without any real fear of being dropped.”