LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND — Manchester United arrived at Hill Dickinson Stadium sitting fourth in the Premier League table with 48 points, knowing a win would consolidate their Champions League push. Everton, in ninth with 37 points and carrying mixed recent form, needed the three points just as badly to keep pace with the European hopefuls above them. When the final whistle sounded, it was the visitors who prevailed, Benjamin Sesko's clinical 71st-minute strike delivering a 1-0 victory that the statistics, frankly, did not fully reflect.
The decisive moment arrived against the run of play. Bryan Mbeumo, who had been a constant threat before limping off with an injury in the 77th minute, drove forward on a rapid counter-attack and slid the ball into the path of Sesko, who had been introduced as a substitute just 13 minutes earlier. The Slovenian striker took one touch to set himself and drilled a right-footed finish to the bottom right corner, giving Senne Lammens no chance at the other end. It was a goal of ruthless simplicity — the kind that wins tight Premier League matches — and it silenced a home crowd that had been growing in belief throughout the second half.
Everton had come closest to breaking the deadlock in the opening seconds of the second half. Harrison Armstrong latched onto a precise delivery from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and fired from the centre of the box, only to be denied by Lammens, who smothered the effort in the centre of his goal. It was a warning that went unheeded by United's defence, though the visitors ultimately made their one genuine moment of quality count where Everton could not.
The tactical battle was fiercely contested throughout. Everton's midfield, marshalled by Idrissa Gueye and the energetic Tim Iroegbunam, worked tirelessly to press and disrupt United's rhythm. James Garner provided the creative spark from deeper positions, while Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski were commanding at the back — the latter earning a yellow card in the 83rd minute as the game grew increasingly fractious. Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo anchored United's midfield, though it was the pace and directness of Mbeumo and Amad Diallo in the first half that gave the visitors their most dangerous moments going forward.
The numbers told a story of Everton dominance that ultimately went unrewarded. The Toffees won 10 corners to United's solitary one, a remarkable disparity that underlined the sustained pressure the home side generated. Shots were almost level — Everton registering 12 to United's 11 — and Everton actually edged shots on target four to three. Yet Lammens was equal to everything thrown at him, finishing with four saves to his name in a composed and assured display. Everton's Jordan Pickford, by contrast, was called upon only once in a meaningful sense, making a single save. The possession split was similarly tight, with United shading it 52.2% to 47.8%, reinforcing just how closely matched these sides were across 90 minutes.
The closing stages were febrile. Harry Maguire was booked in the 84th minute, Bruno Fernandes followed in the 90th, and Noussair Mazraoui — who had replaced the injured Mbeumo — also saw yellow in stoppage time. Tyrique George, introduced for Armstrong in the 73rd minute, forced one final save from Lammens in the 90th-plus-three, a right-footed effort from outside the box that the goalkeeper gathered comfortably in the centre of his goal. It summed up Everton's afternoon: plenty of endeavour, precious little reward.
For Manchester United, it was a victory built on defensive resilience and a single moment of counter-attacking brilliance — the hallmark of a side that knows how to grind out results when the performance does not always match the occasion.
Joy for United, frustration for Everton as both clubs now turn to their next assignments — the Toffees travel to Newcastle United on February 28, while Manchester United host West Ham United on March 15.