Man United are transformed under Michael Carrick and Benjamin Sesko proves it

When Manchester United were looking for a saviour this season, they opted not to revert to their greatest super-sub. They may not have Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the dugout but they seem to have his successor in spirit on the pitch. Benjamin Sesko is yet to start a game under Michael Carrick but he has come off the bench to score three times, all significant, delivering an extra five points.

First the winner against Fulham , then an equaliser at West Ham , now a decider at Everton . It was early by Sesko’s standards – in the 71st minute, rather than injury time, when Jordan Pickford denied him a second – but it felt further evidence of Carrick’s nous. United had looked blunt before his arrival, lacking inspiration and a focal point in attack. Sesko is the only pure No 9 in the squad and, once again, he illustrated the merits of a penalty-box presence.

In a game low on drama, the goal came from a sweeping move. Everton, who had been the more positive in the second half, may regret committing too many men forward, leaving themselves open to the counter-attack which, whether under Carrick or Solskjaer, tends to be United’s most potent weapon.

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Sesko was involved twice in the move. He laid the ball off to Matheus Cunha, who sprayed a diagonal pass to release Bryan Mbeumo. He was confronted only by Michael Keane and squared the ball for Sesko, who had run 70 yards to slide in a finish. It was the Slovenian’s eighth goal for United. He only had two when Ruben Amorim was sacked.

And United have been transformed since then. They took their haul under Carrick to 16 points from a possible 18, a charge that is putting them on a path towards the Champions League. A distinctly mundane match nevertheless produced a fine result for United.

Arguably, they undid some of the damage done on one of Amorim’s most ignominious nights. In November, his United were clueless when confronted with the 10 men of Everton and lost at Old Trafford. The rematch was different and not just because Idrissa Gueye completed the night without slapping a teammate. United were uninspired for the most part but Carrick found a way. Successful substitutions have been a theme of his reign, and not just those involving Sesko.

For one of his predecessors, it was a frustrating reunion. David Moyes has now seen Everton go seven games without a win at Hill Dickinson Stadium. They are yet to record a win over elite opposition at their deluxe ground and, when they were looking more ambitious than United, they conceded.

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They had rarely threatened to in the preceding hour. They almost struck early, when James Tarkowski cleared Amad Diallo’s fourth-minute shot off the line, though Pickford had taken some of the sting out of it. Thereafter, Diogo Dalot thudded a long-range half-volley into the advertising hoardings while, after the break, Mbeumo blazed a shot over from an acute angle.

But United had too little threat on either flank. Everton fielded no specialist full-backs, instead using a centre-back who United once tried to buy, in Jarrad Branthwaite, and a midfielder who came through the Old Trafford youth system, in James Garner, on either side of the back four. United did not exploit their unfamiliarity with their respective positions. So Carrick acted, removing Amad and introducing Sesko.

Moyes, of course, did not have a £73m striker in reserve; or in the team, for that matter. Indeed, when the United fans chorused the name of the watching Wayne Rooney, the thought occurred that both of his former teams could do with him on the pitch.

Thierno Barry could have scored inside 10 seconds, albeit without knowing much about it, when Senne Lammens slammed a clearance into him. After that, the Belgian held a free kick from Garner, well struck but from at least 30 yards.

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Yet the first half was wretched. While United had more possession, both sides gave the ball away in midfield with impressive frequency. It was as thought they thought it was a contest to cough up possession the quickest.

The second half was better. Less than 30 seconds into it, Lammens saved from Harrison Armstrong, following a fine Everton move that involved Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. As Everton chased an equaliser, the Belgian was tested by Keane, with a thunderbolt from distance, and, in injury time, by the replacement Tyrique George.

Everton had corners and pressure but in vain. A United defence without the injured Lisandro Martinez held on. A back four with Leny Yoro coming in from the cold did their job after the substitute striker did his. It was another episode of the Sesko show but United are not tiring of the plot.