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Home 4 shots, 6 aerial duels won, 1 goal: Carrick made the right selection call, red-hot sensation proved it vs Palace

4 shots, 6 aerial duels won, 1 goal: Carrick made the right selection call, red-hot sensation proved it vs Palace

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Manchester United proved why they are called the comeback kings, as they came back from a goal down to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Under Michael Carrick, United have come back to claim points in three out of seven games, going unbeaten in all of them.

Sunday’s win now means the Red Devils have climbed to third spot in the Premier League table, a feat not many would have anticipated during the dark days of the Ruben Amorim era.

The caretaker head coach was brave with his selection call, finally handing Benjamin Sesko a start after an array of impressive performances from the bench.

Metric	Value
Goals	1
Expected Goals (xG)	0.29
Expected Goals on Target (xGOT)	0.75
Assists	0
Expected Assists (xA)	0.01
Total Shots	4
Shots on Target	3
Shots Blocked	1
Key Passes	0
Crosses (Accurate)	0 (0)
Accurate Passes	8/10 (80%)
Passes in Opposition Half (Acc.)	7/9 (78%)
Passes in Own Half (Acc.)	1/1 (100%)
Touches	16
Unsuccessful Touches	1
Dribbles (Successful)	1 (0)
Possession Lost	4
Carries	4
Total Carrying Distance	18.3 m
Total Progression	14.5 m
Defensive Contributions	0
Tackles (Won)	0 (0)
Interceptions	0
Clearances	0
Blocked Shots	0
Recoveries	1
Dribbled Past	1
Ground Duels (Won)	2 (0)
Aerial Duels (Won)	7 (6)

stats from sofascore

Bold selection call

And the Slovenian did not disappoint, scoring a thumping header in the second half which proved to be the winner. His movement for the goal was sublime, as was Bruno Fernandes‘ cross.

The Slovenia international seemed to be behind his marker, but the early ball in meant he bamboozled the defence with an early run, and the power he generated from his header was impressive to say the least.

As the saying goes, ‘if you don’t shoot, you don’t score’, and the 22-year-old was certainly not shy to try his luck against the Eagles.

In total, he had four attempts, with three of them hitting the target, while he saw one effort get blocked (all stats via sofascore).

Benjamin Sesko proved his coach right

Against a tall and powerful backline, the hosts often relied on the former RB Leipzig man to win headers or to hold on to possession under pressure, and Benjamin Sesko did just that.

He won six aerial duels, losing only one. While he might not have seen a lot of the ball, his impact cannot be understated.

Carrick rightly subbed him off, hoping to keep him wrapped in cotton wool given his impressive form in front of goal.

The summer signing now has seven goals in his last eight games. And Carrick will need Benjamin Sesko in top form with an away tie against Newcastle United coming up next.

Feature image Stu Forster via Getty Images

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