Good luck with the start! The guardian of the goal saves Manchester United as they return to the top four with a 1-0 win, Carrick refuses to change the starting lineup, and Shesko remains efficient.

After a 13-day hiatus, Manchester United resumed Premier League action and once again depended on €85 million forward Benjamin Šeško’s goal to earn points, beating Everton 1-0, reclaiming fourth place in the league, three points clear of Chelsea and Liverpool, and just three points behind third-placed Aston Villa. In three games, United will host Villa at Old Trafford, aiming to challenge for a top-three spot.

Before the match, many expected Šeško to start for the first time under Carrick’s management. However, the Manchester United coach did make one change to the starting lineup, but it was center-back Lenny Yaro. The player replaced by Yaro, Lisandro Martínez, was sidelined due to injury.

When asked why Šeško, who has scored 5 goals in 6 games, was still on the bench, Carrick explained: "I understand Benjamin’s excellent performance, but he is still young, learning, and adapting to life here. I am very pleased with him. Although we haven’t worked together long, he has made significant progress. He is in good form, ready, looks threatening, and confident. We face many challenges in selecting the lineup, and it’s not always straightforward. Having Benjamin as a substitute is a good thing; in the long run, he will play an important role. His current performance impresses me, but I believe he has even greater potential, which I eagerly anticipate."

It turned out Carrick’s choice was not ideal, as Manchester United’s performance in the first half was unsatisfactory. Goalkeeper Senna Lamens nearly made a mistake right from the kickoff; Tieno Barry blocked his long clearance, and luckily the ball did not rebound towards the goal, sparing the Red Devils from a repeat of De Gea’s error six years ago at Goodison Park that allowed Richarlison to score.

Diogo Dalot was one of the few Manchester United players who maintained good form; his volley narrowly hit the post. He then made a brilliant pass to Mbeumo, who played as striker for the sixth consecutive game, but his shot was also just off target.

Fortunately, both teams started slowly due to the long break without matches, and Everton only entered Manchester United’s attacking third after 24 minutes. Moyes shifted center-back Jarrod Branswell to left-back to counter Amad Diallo, a move that worked as the £40 million winger underperformed.

The first half ended goalless, and the situation remained unchanged after the break. Manchester United’s traveling fans chanted “Attack, attack, attack.” Ten minutes later, Carrick finally broke his habit of making substitutions only after 70 minutes and brought on Šeško to replace the underperforming Amad.

Cunha, who was not substituted, soon justified the coach’s decision. He delivered an accurate 30-meter long pass, creating a fast counterattack opportunity for Mbeumo. After attracting Michael Keane’s defense, Mbeumo passed precisely to Šeško in the center, who then scored with a shot into the bottom corner, giving Manchester United a 1-0 lead over Everton.

In the last four matches, Šeško has come off the bench three times and scored for Manchester United. Of his eight goals for the club, seven were scored with his first shot, showing he has the highest efficiency in front of goal among all attackers. Data shows that Šeško’s goals this month have earned Manchester United 7 Premier League points.

Although Šeško missed a one-on-one chance against Pickford created by his friend Dalot during stoppage time, he should now have proven himself worthy of a first start under Carrick.

Šeško humbly stated: "For me, no matter how much time I get on the pitch, the most important thing is to help the team. That’s why I’m at Manchester United. Whether it’s 5 minutes or 90, the key is to contribute as much as I can, and I’m very satisfied with that."

Apart from the early error, Manchester United goalkeeper Lamens was arguably the biggest contributor to the victory. Before the match ended, he saved a powerful long-range shot from Keane aimed at the corner, securing the team’s first away clean sheet this season! The last time the team kept a clean sheet in a Premier League away game was a 3-0 win over Leicester City in March, after which they conceded in 18 consecutive matches.

Moreover, since Carrick took charge, this is the Red Devils’ third clean sheet, surpassing former coach Rúben Amorim’s record of two clean sheets in 20 games.

Everton, mimicking Arsenal, applied heavy pressure on the goalkeeper during corner kicks, giving fans a taste of the hassle of crowded public transport before work. This is understandable; you can’t expect the weaker side to give up resistance, so they use any tactic that makes the stronger team uncomfortable. Fortunately, Lamens showed his strength in dealing with aerial balls, repeatedly clearing dangers.

Statistics show that Lamens made 4 saves, cleared the ball 4 times, and caught 2 crosses in this match, earning him the official Man of the Match award. The 23-year-old Belgian goalkeeper said after the game: "We knew corners and set pieces would be really tough, luckily that’s one of my strengths."

With the help of Lamens and Šeško, Carrick extended his unbeaten record in his two spells as Manchester United manager to 9 games, with 7 wins and 2 draws, the second-best unbeaten start in club history after Solskjær’s 11 games in the 2018/19 season and Herbert Bamlett’s 10 games in 1926/27.

Manchester United have now gone 10 consecutive Premier League games unbeaten, marking their first double-digit unbeaten streak since Solskjær’s 14-game run from January to May 2021.

Carrick commented: "We worked very hard, and credit to Everton, they made the game difficult, forcing us to defend frequently. Our defensive performance was excellent, and keeping a clean sheet is fantastic. We should have played better, but winning 1-0 away is still satisfying."

From the overall view, Manchester United’s performance under Carrick seems to decline slightly each match, but this is understandable as opponents gradually adapt to his tactics. As long as they keep winning, calls for Carrick to become permanent manager will grow louder.