Benjamin Sesko’s form is symbolic of Manchester United’s revival under Michael Carrick – Hits and misses | Football News

What better symbol of Man Utd’s revival than Sesko form

Little embodies the resurgence of Manchester United under Michael Carrick than the form of Benjamin Sesko.

Half of the forward’s goals this season have come since the head coach’s appointment across only six matches and all four have been decisive ones.

Sesko’s winner against Crystal Palace was only the latest but was the first since being trusted to start for his new boss – as he showed he can be more than just a super-sub.

The work Carrick and his backroom staff have clearly done with the 22-year-old on the training pitch is paying off, and the confidence instilled in him is just as plain to see.

Before a double against Burnley in Darren Fletcher’s final game as interim Sesko had scored only two from 10 previous starts at Old Trafford.

Carrick inherited a player who had already undergone half a season of adaptation to the Premier League, but he deserves huge credit for polishing what was a real rough diamond in that first part of the campaign.

It would have been easy for Sesko to have become frustrated for much of his most recent match-winning performance after managing only seven touches in the opening 35 minutes, but he remained patient to register four shots including a superb header to seal the victory.
Ron Walker

Arsenal’s set-piece mastery pays off again

There was a palpable sense of anticipation inside the Emirates Stadium when Jurrien Timber won Arsenal’s first corner against Chelsea. Moments later, they were ahead. One corner, one goal. Their mastery of set-pieces continues to reward them.

William Saliba’s opener, nodded home after Bukayo Saka’s back-post delivery had been headed across goal by his centre-back partner Gabriel, was their 15th corner goal of the season and their 16th followed when Jurrien Timber forced home Declan Rice’s centre.

“The first goal is top,” conceded Liam Rosenior to Sky Sports afterwards. He said Chelsea had spent extra time on set-piece preparation in the lead-up to the game but they are not the first side to be undone by Arsenal’s corners and they will not be the last.

Mikel Arteta was eager to point out that most of Arsenal’s goals have come from other sources lately. All four against Spurs were scored from open play. But their set-pieces, and specifically their corners, continue to be a game-breaking weapon.

Saliba’s header was Arsenal’s ninth opening goal from a corner in the Premier League this season. Timber’s was their ninth match-winning goal from a corner. The set-piece emphasis is not for everyone but there is no doubting its value to Arsenal in marginal games.
Nick Wright

The tide won’t turn for Spurs like this

It still seems strange to say it, but the possibility of relegation is growing by the week for Tottenham.

The 2-1 loss at Fulham was their fourth in a row and eighth in the last 13 Premier League games. The result extended their winless run to 10 – the club’s joint-longest run in Premier League history – one that goes back 32 years.

If alarm bells were not already ringing for Tottenham, they certainly are now.

More concerningly, Igor Tudor’s side mustered just a single shot on target, which came when Richarlison scored within 10 minutes of his introduction. Their 13 shots had a total xG value of just 0.88.

Once they did pull one back, an anxiety quickly spread through the crowd at Craven Cottage. There had been little urgency before that, but the goal seemed to lift both the Spurs players and the fans. But that last push for the equaliser amount to very little, if anything at all.

There seemed to be a lack of heart, something a team flirting with an unthinkable relegation just cannot do without.

The silver lining is that Nottingham Forest – two points and a place below Spurs – lost 2-1 at Brighton, so while they have not made headway, they have not lost ground either.

Afterwards, Tudor himself said: “I don’t want to speak about relegation”. But this predicament isn’t going anywhere right now. Three crucial games against Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Forest lie ahead before the international break.
Dan Long

Forest well and truly have a goalscoring problem

66 shots across the last three games from Nottingham Forest. One goal. One point. That sums up their struggles towards the bottom of the Premier League table.

Vitor Pereira didn’t lacked chances today. They had more than enough to take something from the game. But they lacked the clinical edge needed.

Last year, Chris Wood finished with 20 Premier League goals, the fourth highest in the league. This term, Forest’s best player in the league is Morgan Gibbs-White with seven.

In fact, their top seven scorers haven’t even equalled what Wood alone managed last season. It’s abundantly clear what the big problem is, but with just 10 games to go, there isn’t long to rectify it.
Callum Bishop

Hurzeler has gone back to basics with Brighton

Fabian Hurzeler has gone back to basics and it’s resulted in back-to-back victories for the first time since October.

The Seagulls seem to be over a dismal spell that saw them go winless for six games straight. Instrumental to Brighton’s switch has been James Milner, who has gone clear as the Premier League’s record appearance holder.

That experience proved invaluable as he anchored the midfield to allow another old but new Brighton boy to strut his stuff.

Pasal Gross, who returned to the club in January, created the most chances and was the thorn in Nottingham Forest’s side.

Alongside them, the energy of Jack Hinshelwood, at just 20-years old, added a pace to Brighton’s play in a well-rounded midfield.

Hurzeler has often relied on the likes of Carlos Baleba to do multiple jobs in his midfield but the trio has offered a new dynamic that has birthed a winning formula. A system that Hurzeler may now be reluctant to change.
William Bitibiri