United View: Late Sesko strike sees Reds through

Michael Carrick cited ‘spirit’ as the driving force in Manchester United’s 3-2 over Fulham on Sunday. 

The Reds looked to be cruising at 2-0, but two late goals from Marco Silva’s side looked to have soured the good feeling around Old Trafford. 

That was until a late Benjamin Sesko goal made it three successive wins.

Wins against Manchester City and Arsenal have elevated a season of inconsistency, but there were concerns that this game against Fulham would be a real test for United, where they were expected to win in front of the Old Trafford faithful.

In hindsight, it was wrong to assume Marco Silva would set his side up in a low block; they are a team that has good ball players, and ultimately, United ended the game with less possession.

That wasn’t to say United were bad, although they weren’t as blistering as the two previous games; they were well worth their first two goals. 

Casemiro was as effective as usual from a set piece before Matheus Cunha smashed home a fine effort into the roof of the net.

The two Brazilians are at opposite ends of their United career, and both have shown in recent weeks that they still have much to give the team. Casemiro’s experience will be missed, but Cunha has shown he has the character to be a success at Old Trafford.

And with the five-time Champions League winner departing, it’s becoming clear that United’s transfer strategy will be to bring in replacements for United’s best defensive midfielder. 

Bringing in a defensive midfielder, as well as an energetic central midfielder, would allow United to press much higher up the pitch.

United sat off towards the end of the game, allowing the Cottagers to come back into the contest. 

It should be no surprise; they almost overcame a 5-1 deficit to Manchester City earlier in the season. And when Kevin’s spectacular effort curled into the top corner, it looked like United’s bubble had burst.

However, as United showed against Arsenal, they are dangerous after just conceding. 

And when Bruno Fernandes let the ball run through his legs, granting him the space to pick out Benjamin Sesko inside the box, the Slovenian cooly slotted home the late winner.

After the game, Carrick said, “Huge moment. I’m so, so pleased. Everyone in the changing room, players, staff, were delighted for him, absolutely delighted for him, and the reception he got when he came back in the changing room told us everything. Confidence, it wasn’t so much that. He’s been fantastic. We’ve worked with him a lot in different ways over the last couple of weeks.”

Sesko has been reduced to substitute appearances under Carrick, which isn’t necessarily bad. 

It’s his debut season, and allowing others to carry the burden of leading the line can allow him to settle. 

Hopefully, this can spur him on to finish the season strongly.

The Reds are aiming for a Champions League finish, with the hierarchy believing the squad is good enough to achieve this. 

There was no investment in the transfer window. Top targets were not likely to move, and they were unwilling to sign stop-gaps, hoping to avoid the mistakes of the past.

It’s a risk, but the squad has shown significant improvement in recent weeks, especially since the return of its African players from international duty. 

And with only the Premier League to focus on, the workload should be less in theory.

Achieving a top-five finish would allow United to invest more in the summer, but fans will have to wait and see if this gamble pays off.

A win over Spurs on Saturday would certainly help them strive towards this.