Sir Jim Ratcliffe must be seriously conflicted, among other things. Manchester United’s advance towards the riches of the Champions League gathered momentum at Everton thanks to Slovenia’s Benjamin Sesko, Brazil’s Matheus Cunha and Belgium’s Senne Lammens. While United’s largest single shareholder creates division, the unity of Michael Carrick’s diverse team proved invaluable at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Sesko made a telling impact off the bench for the second game in succession to secure a slender but precious victory in the race for Champions League qualification. Having preserved Carrick’s unbeaten record as United manager last time out at West Ham, the expensive summer signing delivered victory with a clinical finish to take his team fourth in the table, three points clear of Chelsea and Liverpool. Carrick now has five wins and one draw from his six games at the helm. His audition for the permanent job could not have gone much better thus far.