Manchester United scored late on to draw with Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday.
Sesko went close early on
Manchester United would have every right to feel disappointed to only come away from their trip to Nottingham Forest with a point.
The Reds didn’t have to get out of second gear to control the game in the opening 45 minutes, and had they produced anything like their best in the second half they would have cruised to three points.
Yet they should be applauded for avoiding defeat having been a goal behind in the 81st minute. United sides of the not-too-distant past would have lost that game, as much for their inability to score goals as their lack of character.
United have quietly gone about becoming one of the most prolific sides in the Premier League, with their tally of 17 goals scored in 10 games just five goals shy of half of their entire tally from the 2024/25 season.
Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo have played a huge part in sharpening one of the league’s bluntest attacks, and while we’re still waiting for Benjamin Sesko to hit his stride, there have been more than a few flashes of promise.
With just a quarter of an hour played at the City Ground on Saturday, the United striker was fed the ball by Matheus Cunha 20 yards from goal and instinctively swivelled and fired a shot a couple of yards wide of Matz Sels’ goal. The Forest goalkeeper committed to the dive but the shot was always sailing narrowly wide.
Bereft of support and with his back to goal, there seemed to be nothing on for the Slovenian when he collected the ball and it was a half chance fashioned from very little. While the effort failed to change the scoreboard it was an encouraging glimpse of what he can offer United moving forward.
Let’s not forget that Sesko isn’t exactly a striker brimming with confidence right now. He may have broken his United duck against Brentford and followed it up with a goal against Sunderland to make it two in two, but he has scored just two goals in 10 league outings and was benched for United’s best performance of the season. Yet his effort in the early stages at the City Ground was one of a player who had plenty of confidence in his own ability.
Compare that to Rasmus Hojlund. The Dane’s effort and endeavour at United could not be questioned, but his quality and ability to create chances out of nothing certainly could.
As United struggled to create chances they needed their £72million striker to provide a spark, yet far too often he was found wanting and even when chances were served on a plate to him he would be caught on his heels.
The additions of Cunha and Mbeumo mean United are stacked with creative talent. While all strikers need good service to thrive, it’s been a long time since United had a player at the tip of their attack capable of pulling a rabbit out of a hat and catching a defence off-guard.
In Sesko they might just have a striker who can add another weapon to their attacking arsenal.
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