Player Ratings: Everton 0-1 Manchester United

Photo: Manchester United

Manchester United returned to winning ways under Michael Carrick with an impressive defensive display on their first visit to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, as Benjamin Sesko's goal was enough to get the win away to Everton.

United were forced into a change to their line-up as Lisandro Martinez was ruled out, with Leny Yoro starting.

Carrick's side started rather slow with their passing, but then found their groove, carving some opportunities in what was a rather one-sided first half. United had most of the possession, but could not find the cutting edge to carve Everton open.

The second half was rather slow, with Everton looking for set-pieces to trouble United. The Reds got the breakthrough in the 71st minute, when Sesko laid the ball off, with Matheus Cunha then finding Bryan Mbeumo with an incredible pass, before the Cameroonian found Sesko, with the forward slotting it home.

Everton piled pressure on the United defence late on, but Senne Lammens and the rest of the backline stood strong, and United saw out the win, securing three points and a third clean sheet under Carrick.

Senne Lammens 9

A practically perfect display from Senne Lammens aside from a nervy start after his clearance was charged down by Thierno Barry. The Belgian rose from that and produced an absolutely fantastic performance. Produced a couple of excellent saves, while also controlled his penalty area very well from set-pieces, despite Everton flooding the six-yard box. Previous United goalkeepers would not have produced such a standout and untroubled display.

Diogo Dalot 8

Looked excellent for large parts of the game. Fought well and charged up and down the pitch. He was one of the only sources of width throughout the game. Solid.

Leny Yoro 8

Brought into the team for Martinez, and while his passing was a bit off at the start, he grew into the game and became a more commanding defender. His pace on the transition was useful tonight.

Harry Maguire 8

Another solid performance from Harry Maguire. Read the game very well and used his experience perfectly to command the penalty area.

Luke Shaw 6

Had a very tough game having to defend Iliman Ndiaye, but he did relatively well in terms of keeping him quiet. Did not offer as much as Dalot going forward.

Casemiro 6

A game where you did not know what to expect from Casemiro. The Brazilian produced some excellent passes from deep in midfield, but he also gave the ball away a lot. Seemed desperate with his passing throughout the second half.

Kobbie Mainoo 7

The more comfortable of United's midfielders. Received the ball in very tight areas and he did well with it. Worked defensively and got United plenty of routes out of their defensive third. Another impressive performance.

Amad 6

Started very strong but eventually faded out of the game. He tried to unsettle Jarrad Branthwaite and while he had the beating of the Everton defender at times, he struggled to get on the ball at times in the second half. Neat with his passing.

Bruno Fernandes 6

An unusually quiet game from Bruno Fernandes going forward, with him being visibly frustrated by his lack of options ahead of him. However, he worked tirelessly defensively, always looking to track back, and he made a couple of vital blocks and interceptions.

Matheus Cunha 6

Constantly went into central areas in the first half and as a result was finding it difficult to find the pockets of space he tends to thrive in. Remained wider in the second half and he became more of a threat. Produced a magnificent long pass to Mbeumo to set up the winning goal.

Bryan Mbeumo 6

Mbeumo struggled to get the better of James Tarkowski and Michael Keane throughout the match, and when he did get shots on goal, he failed to hit the target. However, he got the final decision spot on for the goal, beating Keane for pace before finding Sesko.

Substitutes

Benjamin Sesko 9

Came on and once again produced a matchwinning moment. Started the move for the goal, and he finished it off, showing great determination to run the length of the pitch to tuck it past Jordan Pickford. Helped United deal with Everton's crosses late on, and arguably should have added to his tally when faced with Pickford, but did well throughout.

Noussair Mazraoui 7

Came on to solidify the defence and he defended admirably. Put his body on the line and made a series of important challenges.

Ayden Heaven 6

A very late substitute for Matheus Cunha to run the clock down.

Head Coach - Michael Carrick 7

Much will be said about his decision to keep Sesko on the bench, but if the Slovenian keeps on producing such an excellent impact as a substitute, then it could be the right move. United were very solid defensively and dealt with everything that Everton threw at them. Carrick also did not wait too long to bring Sesko on, allowing him to completely change the complexion of the game.

Another impressive result from Carrick, leaving United in fourth, three points ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool, and three points below Aston Villa.