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News
- 41 minutes ago
Sesko goal shows Amorim has a not-so-secret weapon that can save his job
Tom Weber
- Updated: 4 Oct 2025 17:22 BST
- 4 min read
Analysis
Manchester United recorded a vital win over Sunderland on Saturday to marginally ease the pressure on embattled head coach Ruben Amorim.
Goals from Mason Mount and Benjamin Sesko secured a crucial three points for the Red Devils and brought them within a point of the promoted team in the table.
There had been conflicting reports on Amorim's future ahead of the game, with some claiming that he could have been sacked had Man Utd lost, while others reiterated that he retains the backing of INEOS.
Current ETV
Benjamin Sesko
F (C)
Man Utd
Benjamin Sesko
F (C)
Man Utd
ETV Range
€68.1M - €83.2M
Whatever the case, Amorim will now most likely survive the international break. While Man Utd still showed some fragility in the clash with the Black Cats, the Portuguese tactician should have at least one hugely positive takeaway from the game.
Sesko's goal, his second in as many games, came from a long throw-in, and this is an area that Amorim needs to lean into more as something of a get out of jail free card.
Man Utd could excel at long throws
With Man Utd 1-0 up, Diogo Dalot launched the ball into the box, defender Matthijs de Ligt flicked it on and Sesko, who had been able to get in front of his defender, comfortably converted.
Man Utd treated this long throw as a dangerous set piece because that is exactly what it is. They not only sent De Ligt up for it, but also his centre-back partner Leny Yoro and defensive midfielder Casemiro.
The Red Devils can generate an advantage over opponents on long throws because they have some absolute units (not an accurate scientific term) in their team. Sesko scored with his feet, but he, too, is a massive weapon from set-pieces, as is Harry Maguire, who came on later in the game.
It would be wrong to say that long throws could be Amorim's secret weapon because there has been a noticeable proliferation of this kind of set piece this season. Man Utd are simply going with the trend, but this is definitely something they need to utilise more.
The Red Devils had the worst shot conversion rate in the Premier League ahead of Saturday's game because they massively struggled to get their marquee attackers into good goalscoring positions.
A long throw-in is something of a cheat code in that regard, particularly for a struggling team like Man Utd, because it is essentially a corner or a free kick that you can win without having to get into a dangerous position in the final third.
If you have a player who can throw far enough, you don't even need to get into the final third at all, although in this instance, Dalot was actually near the corner flag.
Given that Man Utd have the likes of Sesko, De Ligt, Casemiro, Yoro and Maguire, there is no reason for them not to lean into long throw-ins and potentially generate a few much-needed goals from these situations. In a season that has started so terribly, it could make a massive difference.
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