Jamie Carragher makes bold Man Utd prediction after win over Everton
Jamie Carragher suggested Manchester United were ‘virtually guaranteed’ a Champions League qualification spot following their gritty 1-0 victory over Everton.
The Red Devils will have been desperate to respond after being held to a 1-1 draw away to struggling West Ham in their first setback since Michael Carrick took over the reins from Ruben Amorim.
Hosts Everton made United dig deep in what was a physical and largely ugly affair, with Senne Lammens forced to keep out a barrage of nine second-half corners fired under his crossbar at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
In one of his toughest tests yet, the Belgian goalkeeper was also alert to deny both Harrison Armstrong and Michael Keane, further enhancing his reputation as a significant upgrade on his error-prone predecessor Andre Onana.
Looking to inject some impetus into his side, Carrick sent on Sesko in place of Amad Diallo with half an hour remaining of the contest – and the substitution worked wonders.
Sesko had found the net after coming off the bench in two of United’s three previous games and it was more of the same from the 22-year-old striker when his team needed him to deliver on Merseyside.
All three players involved in the winning goal were signed by United last summer, with Bryan Mbeumo putting the ball on a plate for Sesko after Matheus Cunha’s sublime cross-field pass to kick-start a lightning counter-attack.
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Sesko’s first-time finish beyond Jordan Pickford displayed all the confidence of a player beginning to settle into life at a new club. He will no doubt be itching for a start against Crystal Palace this weekend.
‘Ben is in a good place at the moment and we’ve had some really good talks about it,’ Carrick told Sky Sports when pressed on the Slovenian’s chances of starting versus Palace.
‘He’s patient and understands that. He’s going to be a big player for us for a long period of time I’m sure of that. We’ve got to manage that.
On Sesko, Carrick added: ‘We’ve got some really good forward players and he’s made a big difference for us when he’s been on the pitch.
‘That’s a decision as we move forward.
‘The balance has been really good between the forward players and we’ve got to continue that.’
The narrow win saw United leapfrog Chelsea into fourth place, with Liam Rosenior’s men having dropped points at home to relegation-threatened Burnley at the weekend.
With the Premier League on course to gain an extra Champions League spot for a second consecutive season, Carragher said he was extremely confident that United would go on and safely secure their place.
‘I think Manchester United are virtually a guarantee in that position,’ the ex-Liverpool and England defender said in the Sky Sports studio shortly after the final whistle.
‘Aston Villa look like they’re dropping points at the moment and they’ve still got European football on a Thursday night so a lot of Thursday-Sundays.
‘Liverpool and Chelsea are both still in the Champions League and they’ve got the FA Cup as well. They’ll want to do well in at least one of those competitions, at least to the semi-final and final.
‘Yeah, I can’t see Manchester United not making it. Mind games! No, I do… I do believe that.’
While Edwin van der Sar was a little less eager to put his neck on the line as Carragher had done, he conceded that United had positioned themselves thanks to their extraordinary resurgence under Carrick.
‘The first half was not great from both teams,’ the former United and Netherlands goalkeeper said of Monday night’s clash.
‘Second half, I think Everton started on the front foot, they were really pressing a little bit.
‘They were under pressure, Everton threw everything they had towards Manchester United and they stood firm, stood calm and got the win over the finish line.
‘The top two positions are out of reach but I think the main thing for Manchester United is to finish in the top four, top five.
‘They need to get that Champions League football, get some more results in March. Of course, they’re out of the cup, no international football, so they have time to work on the formation on the training ground at Carrington.
‘Let’s hope the form of the team is growing all the time.’
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Van der Sar suggested that Sesko had ‘perhaps’ earned himself a place in Carrick’s starting XI with yet another super-sub performance to get his team over the line.
But given Carrick’s impressive start in the United hot seat, Van der Sar is confident the best decision will be made heading into the weekend’s action.
He added: ‘The questions of the journalists are coming even stronger: does Sesko need a starting position? Perhaps.
‘But he [Carrick] is picking the right names for the team.’
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Article source: https://metro.co.uk/2026/02/23/jamie-carragher-makes-bold-man-utd-prediction-win-everton-27073634/