Interim manager Michael Carrick kept his unbeaten record with Manchester United on Tuesday night against West Ham United thanks to a goal from Benjamin Sesko, but afterwards the Englishman was especially full of praise for a defender in his side.
Manchester United’s winning run under interim manager Michael Carrick finally came to a halt on Tuesday night, but the unbeaten streak remains intact after a dramatic 1-1 draw away at West Ham United.
After four straight Premier League wins, United looked set for a frustrating defeat in London when Tomas Soucek fired the hosts in front, and for long periods it felt like that goal would be enough to settle the contest. West Ham managed the game well, protected their lead with discipline, and seemed on course to take all 3 points, until United struck yet again deep into stoppage time. Substitute Benjamin Sesko appeared with the decisive touch to snatch a point for the Mancunians and keep Carrick’s short reign free of defeat.
The result leaves Carrick with a slightly complicated feeling. On one hand, coming away from the London Stadium with a point after trailing so late shows character, belief, and a mentality that has grown noticeably in recent weeks. On the other, the performance levels did not consistently match the standards United have set during their recent mini revival, and Carrick admitted as much afterwards. United were not at their sharpest, they lacked fluidity in key phases, and they spent too many moments reacting rather than dictating. At the same time, Carrick was keen to stress that West Ham deserved credit for the way they competed and for how they made the match awkward.
Soucek’s goal shifted the mood inside the stadium and gave West Ham exactly what they wanted: a platform to defend aggressively, counter when possible, and force United into riskier decisions. With the home side in front, the match became increasingly tense, with United pushing numbers higher and higher in search of an equaliser, while West Ham aimed to exploit the spaces left behind. In that type of game, small defensive moments can decide whether a late push becomes a heroic comeback or a costly collapse. That is where Carrick felt one player stood above the rest.
Instead of focusing solely on the late goal scorer, Carrick singled out defender Leny Yoro as his standout performer. The interim manager highlighted 2 crucial one-on-one situations late in the match in which Yoro made outstanding defensive interventions, using his body well and showing the kind of composure that can keep a team alive when pressure is at its highest. Carrick was clear in his praise: he felt Yoro’s actions were not only technically impressive but also emblematic of the willingness to suffer and fight for the result. In matches where momentum swings wildly in the closing minutes, those defensive moments can be as valuable as a goal.
Sesko’s equaliser, however, ensured the headlines, because it added another chapter to a growing narrative: United keep finding late goals under Carrick, and Sesko keeps being the man delivering them. Earlier this month he produced a decisive late strike in the 3-2 win over Fulham, and now he has again appeared at the most dramatic possible time to rescue points. For a striker, those moments can rapidly reshape how a fanbase views him, shifting the conversation from adaptation and development to decisive match winning impact. For a team trying to rebuild belief, having a forward who looks increasingly comfortable in pressure moments can change the psychological dynamic of matches, because opponents start to feel the game is never truly safe.
That pattern is why English media have already started leaning into the phrase “Fergie Time” when describing United’s recent finishes. In English football culture, the term is closely associated with the Sir Alex Ferguson era, when Manchester United sides developed a reputation for deciding games late, sometimes deep into added time, often through relentless pressure and an unshakeable conviction that another chance would arrive. Carrick, of course, lived through that period as a player, and the comparisons are naturally tempting when United keep scoring in the dying minutes.
Still, Carrick himself is careful not to romanticise it too much. His post match comments carried a warning as well as a compliment. He welcomed the fact that his team are again finding goals late on, because it shows resilience and a refusal to accept defeat. But he also stressed that United cannot keep relying on dramatic endings as a weekly plan. Late equalisers and winners are valuable, but consistently putting yourself in a position where you need them is risky, and the best teams usually build enough control to avoid that necessity.
This draw also arrives after another example of a late turning point under Carrick. At the end of last month, United edged Arsenal 3-2 when Matheus Cunha struck in the 87th minute, a moment that reinforced the sense that Carrick’s side have developed a knack for seizing decisive moments late in games. The question now is whether this is a sustainable feature of United’s performances, driven by fitness, mentality, and attacking depth, or whether it is a short term trend that could fade if performances do not improve earlier in matches.
In terms of personnel, Carrick also gave minutes to Joshua Zirkzee off the bench, continuing to use the striker as a game changing option from the sidelines. Tyrell Malacia remained an unused substitute, while Matthijs de Ligt was still absent from the matchday squad, a reminder that United are not operating with a fully available group and that Carrick has had to manage resources carefully. Those squad details matter because late goals are often influenced by bench impact and freshness, and United’s ability to change the tempo through substitutions has been a recurring theme in recent weeks.
From West Ham’s perspective, the late concession will feel like a major missed opportunity. When a team leads for so long against a club with United’s profile, there is a sense of being close to a statement win, and Soucek’s goal had put them in control of the narrative. Managing those final minutes is always the hardest part, especially against an opponent that keeps pushing until the last second. West Ham did much right for most of the evening, but the ending will sting, because 2 extra points slipped away at the very end.
For Manchester United, the point is both a relief and a reminder. It is a relief because the unbeaten run continues and because the team once again showed spirit under pressure. It is a reminder because Carrick knows the performance level must rise if United want to turn draws into wins consistently and avoid needing stoppage time drama. The growing “Fergie Time” narrative is fun for supporters and useful for belief, but Carrick’s message is clear: the late goals are a positive sign, yet the real progress will come when United start controlling matches earlier, killing them off, and making those frantic endings optional rather than necessary.
