Manchester United salvaged a draw at West Ham with a late goal from Benjamin Sesko.
The wait for a win at the London Stadium goes on for Manchester United. Our last win there came in 2021, with three consecutive defeats following.
Michael Carrick at least snapped the losing streak at West Ham, while his own four-game winning run came to an end.
Manchester United fought back to claim a 1-1 draw thanks to a very late equaliser from Benjamin Sesko.
Let’s take a look at what Michael Carrick got right with the way he managed the game…
What did Michael Carrick get right with his game management vs West Ham?
Only making a centre-back change when he had to
Former boss Ruben Amorim had a very frustrating habit of substituting his centre-backs for the sake of it.
Amorim’s defensive changes became predictable, and were frequently needless. But he continued to make them anyway.
Michael Carrick has differentiated himself, keeping the partnership of Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez together as much as he can.
Carrick only substituted Harry Maguire because he had to, with the defender appearing to suffer a hamstring injury.
He had a choice of Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven, and opted for the Frenchman. It was a smart choice, with Yoro playing well when he came on, and United did not concede during his 22 minutes plus stoppage time.
Yoro had only played one minute under Carrick before this game.
Making an attacking change when chasing the game
Michael Carrick’s biggest point of contrast with Ruben Amorim came when he decided to substitute Diogo Dalot for Joshua Zirkzee.
It was a bold attacking change and a necessary one, with Manchester United trailing 1-0.
Amorim was too cautious with his approach, while Carrick sought to be bold and try and force the issue while taking an extra risk.
Zirkzee came close to scoring, which would have made Carrick’s decision look even better.
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Keeping Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko on together
Benjamin Sesko is developing into a super-sub in recent matches, scoring the winner from the bench against Fulham, and now the equaliser against West Ham.
Carrick made the obvious call by bringing on the striker, but he had a dilemma over who to take off.
In recent matches it has been Bryan Mbeumo who made way, but this time he elected to keep the Cameroon international on for the full 90, and take Matheus Cunha off.
Carrick’s decision paid off spectacularly, with Mbeumo providing the assist for Sesko to score.
Cunha had been having a quiet game, and the decision to take him off was fully justified.
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