Benjamin Sesko came off the bench to rescue Manchester United yet again, his 71st-minute finish earning a 1-0 victory over Everton on a tense, low-quality night at Hill Dickinson Stadium. The 22-year-old Slovenian, a £73.7m summer signing, finished off a devastating counterattack to move Michael Carrick's side back up to fourth in the Premier League and three points clear of Chelsea and Liverpool in the race for what are expected to be five Champions League places. For Everton, it was another sobering reminder of the fine margins at the top end of the table, as a committed display yielded nothing and extended their winless home run in all competitions to seven matches.
Both teams struggled to find rhythm after a 13-day break, and for long periods the game felt as drab as Everton's recent results at their new home. Senne Lammens's excellence in the Manchester United goal and a lack of cutting edge from David Moyes's team ultimately decided a contest that Everton often controlled territorially, while United, far from their fluent best, leaned on their new-found defensive resilience and the explosive quality of their expensive forwards on the break.
Super-sub Sesko finishes ruthless counter
Sesko has yet to start under Carrick in the league, but the interim head coach's faith in using him as a game-changing substitute was rewarded for the third time in four matches. Introduced just before the hour in place of Amad Diallo with United offering little threat, he provided the same cutting edge that had already delivered a late winner against Fulham and a stoppage-time equaliser at West Ham, taking his tally to eight goals for the season and six in his last seven United appearances.