Michael Carrick can’t hide his admiration for Sesko as he hails striker after heroics vs. Palace | OneFootball

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick has showered praise on Benjamin Sesko after another match-winning contribution.

Sesko to the rescue again

History repeated itself as Sesko bagged the winner for United for the second game in a row, this time in a 2-1 triumph over Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.

Palace took the lead inside four minutes through Maxence Lacroix, who shook off his marker to head home from a corner-kick routine.

United began to assert themselves and found an equaliser shortly after the interval. Matheus Cunha was fouled by Lacroix in the box, earning a penalty and getting the defender sent off. Bruno Fernandes sent Dean Henderson the wrong way from the spot-kick to make it 1-1.

Fernandes then turned provider when he delivered a sumptuous ball to Seko, who produced a stunning bullet header to complete the comeback.

Carrick spoke to reporters after the final whistle and gave his verdict on the game.

Carrick’s post-match remarks

“It’s the biggest thing for us to take from the game really. Probably the first time that we’ve been in that situation [trailing] heading into half-time. I thought we were a little bit off to start with. They started particularly well, so credit to them for that.”

“Probably after 20 minutes or so I felt the game was turning in our favour and we finished the half stronger and it looked a little bit like what we were trying to do. And then we spoke at half-time really about being in that position, how we reach and showing that personality and the belief. Football is tough at times and this league is tough, so you’re never always going to have your way.”

“But to come back like we did second half and turn the game in our favour is the biggest thing to take from today for sure.”

On whether there was anything he wanted to get across to his players during the break, Carrick answered, “There’s always something. It was just a little tweaks in shape, maybe a couple of ideas. Some things we started from the start and we wanted to kind of tweak a little bit, but honestly it wasn’t major really.”

“I’m not taking much credit for that. I think the boys showed as the first half progressed, that it was on its way to being better. It was more like I said – that you got to find a way in games. Sometimes a few ideas that we wanted to make more runs. We wanted to be a little bit more aggressive in attacking their backline to a point, which is something you always try to do, but I thought we did it better in the second half and ended up getting the penalty from that.”

“So it was more of how do we react and it’s been going in our favour. I said to them, it’s something I’ve been waiting for, this moment, to see what we were going to do about it and be positive and the boys responded ever so well. So it was a big thing for us.”

Asked about his unbeaten streak and fans singing his name, Carrick answered, “It’s nice obviously. This place means a lot to me, so to have so much positivity and everyone enjoying coming to the games and watching it and me obviously having an influence on that is…I’m not going to lie, it feels good.”

“Players have to take a lot of credit for that as well, in terms of what they put on the pitch. It’s certainly not all me but I think that connection with supporters is huge and to feel that and for them to stay with us, even when there was a bit of a story start to get through the game and finish like that, it means a lot.”

Asked about Sesko making an impact as a starter, Carrick remarked, “Absolutely delighted for Ben. I’ve sat here and said that it [starting him] hasn’t been a headache, it’s not been a big deal. It’s not been a big drama.”

“He’s had a huge impact Ben and he’s making big improvements. He’s getting used to what it’s like to be here, the feelings and what it means to play and things we take for granted at times. He’s desperate to do well. He works so hard. He thinks about it an awful lot. He’s an absolute pleasure to work with.”

“Today he started and it was a fantastic goal. He’s bringing a lot. We’ve got good flexibility across the top line, you know in the front players and different players can play different roles. There’s a lot of flexibility there and Amad took some time out today, and that might change again for Wednesday. But it’s nice to have them options really.”

Carrick added, “I think Jonathan [Woodgate] is obviously working closely with him and connecting with him and building that relationship and that trust. I think that’s important when you’re trying to help players individually and certainly as a team.”

“And lots on Ben, He’s putting the work in, he’s stayed positive. He knows how he wants to improve and he’s pretty clear on that, but he’s a good player. It’s why he’s here. He’s a good player and he’s got some great strengths and I think they’re coming and being clear to see. He’s scoring different types of goals but he’s such a real threat. Really excited about where he can get to without getting too carried away.”

“He’s got huge potential. He’s young and still early days, but he’s doing fantastic at the moment.”

Asked for his opinion on Matheus Cunha’s performance and why the Brazilian didn’t appear to be getting on the ball as much as Patrick Dorgu for instance, Carrick replied, “Just about getting the balnce really – when to play inside a little bit, when to play outside, when to make runs behind.”

“Matheus thinks a lot about the game and you know, he’s really good in terms of wanting to know certain things and it was just one of them probably cause he was closest one to me, so we ended up having a conversation.”

“He’s conscious of where the space is and trying to attack certain spaces you know. Sometimes it’s wide. I thought particularly second half at times he looked dangerous going one v one, which is something he can do and then he’s inside the pitch a little bit more to create a moment for the penalty.”

“So, yeah. Nothing major. Just little bits of information here and there.

Asked whether United scoring high-quality goals matters, Carrick said, “It’s nice to score goals, you know. We all come to games at the end of the day to see excitement and that level of entertainment really if we’re honest from top players.”

“We all know what the boys are capable of and I’m not getting carried away. So I don’t think that we got all the answers yet, but certainly knowing that the boys have big moments in them in different ways…whether that’s through balls, whether it’s a little bit of combination play, whether that’s one v one, whether that’s headers…we do feel like we’ve got a good balance to that but that’s certainly not thinking that everything is going to be alright on the back of it, but it’s really positive to see.”

“There’s going to be games where it might not quite happen and it doesn’t mean it’s a disaster. The two away games, it was a little bit harder to come by, but that’s football and you to put the run together that we have, and to do it in different ways…that’s what’s more encouraging for me. It’s how we’ve ended up doing it in different ways and something to look forward to and build on.”

United return to action on Wednesday when they go away to Newcastle.

Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images

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