Sesko & Lammens Spark Man Utd’s UCL Dream
Benjamin Sesko’s 8-goal surge and Senne Lammens’ heroics boost Manchester United’s Champions League push, lifting hopes of a top-four finish.
Michael Carrick spoke highly of Benjamin Cesco's adjustment to life at Manchester United.
"He's growing as a player," said the United head coach. "Sometimes there are big steps, sometimes small steps. He's made some big strides recently.
"It's great to see the confidence and belief he's playing with."
Cesco's stellar performances in United's last two games have put the club in a great position to secure a return to the Champions League after a two-year absence.
Without the Slovenian's contributions from the bench, United would have lost to West Ham on February 10 and drawn with Everton on their first visit to the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday.
Cesco's goal has lifted Carrick's men into sole possession of fourth place, three points behind Aston Villa and three ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool.
If his stoppage-time volley to secure a point at West Ham was a thing of beauty, his recent effort in the 71st minute of the 1-0 win at Everton was a feat of physical excellence.
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It was a combination of endurance, a pass Running 70 yards at top speed after the delivery. Matheus Cunha, and the calmness to compose himself and comfortably slot Bryan Mbeumo's square pass into the net.
"It was a brilliant finish, a ruthless finish," said Carrick. "I loved the way he scored with real confidence."
Watching the game for Sky Sports, former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher praised the goal.
"Cesco went over 80 yards and then finished," Carragher said. "You expect him to be breathing heavily and gasping after that. But no, he still has the energy to celebrate."
Cesco has taken his goal tally to eight this season.
Surprisingly, he's scored just twice under Ruben Amorim, who signed him from RB Leipzig in August 2025 for £73.7 million.
He now has six goals in his most recent seven games, starting with three in two matches during Darren Fletcher's interim tenure after Amorim's departure in early January.
This return has led many observers to believe that Cesco was unlucky not to feature in the starting XI in any of Carrick's six games.
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The United boss understands the debate, but he doesn't think it's particularly necessary.
"I understand why everyone is talking about it and making such a big issue out of it, but it's not always that extreme," he said.
"I have a great relationship with Ben. We've had some good conversations, and he's in a good place." "Obviously, he wants to play, but we have some good forwards, and I can't praise him enough."
For Cesco, it's about delivering on his manager's instructions – and he's full of confidence to do so.
"I have confidence in myself and the other players," Cesco told Sky Sports.
"They know what they'll get when I come into the game. Whether it's five minutes or 90 minutes, it doesn't matter. It's about showing that I can deliver if I can, and I'm very happy with that."
"Brilliant" Lammens is being compared to Van der Sar
If Cesco broke Everton's hearts at one end of the field, another summer recruit, Sane Lammens, did the same at the other. The Belgian goalkeeper stopped a blockbuster strike from Michael Keane, which Moyes was sure would go in, then brilliantly handled several corners that landed under Everton's crossbar, even as Everton were desperately trying to equalize.
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"The save he made on Michael, the way he handled the corner kick. The pressure we were under. For me, their goalkeeper was the best player."
However, Carrick is benefiting, just as he is benefiting from United's recruitment department's decision to block Amorim's call to bring in Emi Martinez from Aston Villa on summer transfer deadline day and instead rely on a relatively young £18.1 million goalkeeper who had played just one full season of senior football in Belgium.
Lammens is 23. Cesco is 22. United may not be winning trophies with their kids, but they have a young generation that is starting to blossom.
After the Everton game, Carrick learned that his old United teammate and all-time great goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar, was analyzing the game on TV with Carragher.
Carrick skillfully answered the question of whether comparisons could be made between the two men.
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"I don't want to compare them because I don't think it's fair to Sane. But there are definitely similarities.
"You want a goalkeeper to be reliable and trustworthy. Instead of causing chaos, you want him to diffuse chaos and calm things down. I think Sane is that way.
"He's quite quiet and straightforward at times, but he has real courage. That's a big role for some people, and it's about being comfortable in your environment.
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"Sometimes it takes time, sometimes not, but he has that calmness and composure. It helps those in front of him a lot."
At the start of the season, United's stated objective was to return to Europe.
Internally, it was felt that reaching the Europa League was the most realistic target, and financial projections were made around that.
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However, after Amorim's departure, Director of Football Jason Wilcox spoke to the players about reaching the Champions League.
There is a huge difference between status and finances.
United have now gone 10 consecutive Premier League games without defeat for the first time since 14 matches between January and May 2021 under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
From their current position, without any European distractions, which Villa, Chelsea, and Liverpool all have, it would be a huge disappointment for United if they cannot return to the top table of European football.
"Manchester United are now almost guaranteed a Champions League place," Carragher said. "I don't think they won't be able to do it."
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