Published Sep 17, 2026, 6:41 AM GMT+1

His side crashed out of the Carabao Cup to fellow top-flight side Brighton & Hove Albion last night despite being two goals ahead after the first 10 minutes.

Goals from Charalampos Kostoulas, Maxim De Cuyper and Pascal Gross saw the Red Devils exit the competition and lose for the second time in four days at Old Trafford.

The manager’s decision to rotate the senior squad ultimately proved to be the wrong one, with one player who was recalled to the starting eleven failing to provide the goods.

Why Sesko struggled to deliver against Brighton

For just the second time this season, United boss Carrick decided to include big-money striker Benjamin Sesko within his starting eleven for the visit of Brighton.

The Slovenian international, who ended last term as the club’s joint top scorer, has been on the comeback trail after overcoming a recent injury setback.

However, his showing at Old Trafford last night was one that failed to capture the attention of the fanbase, with the striker undoubtedly looking a shadow of his regular self.

The 23-year-old featured for 66 minutes of the cup defeat, but could only register 23 touches of the ball - a tally lower than goalkeeper Karl Darlow, who registered 54.

Sesko failed to register a single effort on goal when having the ball at his feet, whilst also managing to find a teammate with eight of his 14 attempted passes.

As a result, the youngster gifted possession back to the visitors on 13 separate occasions - subsequently highlighting his wasteful nature in attacking areas.

He was unable to make the ball stick within forward areas, which ultimately saw him come out second best in 67% of the ground duels which he contested.

Man Utd star was worse than Sesko vs Brighton

Expecting a player to provide the goods on just his second start after an injury lay-off was always going to be a tall order, with Sesko’s struggles to be expected.

However, such an excuse is unacceptable for numerous other members of Carrick’s squad, with their disappointing displays more of a reflection of their own quality.

Such a lack of quality was also evident during the defeat against Manchester City on Sunday, with the Red Devils unable to take advantage of the one-man advantage for over an hour.

Diogo Dalot started such a clash and was handed another chance to make amends last night, but it’s safe to say his showing against the Seagulls was nothing short of disastrous.

The Portuguese international started on the right of the club’s back four at Old Trafford, but as has been the case over recent months, he failed to deliver a performance that repaid the faith shown in him.

The 27-year-old featured for the entirety of the defeat, but could only win 50% of the ground duels he entered, which often saw the opposition get the better of him.

He was subsequently dribbled past on two separate occasions during the defeat at Old Trafford, with Malick Yalcouye often getting the better of him with his electric pace.

Within attacking areas, Dalot was just as ineffective, as seen by his 20% cross success rate, which saw him pick out a teammate just once out of his five attempts.

He was also unable to complete any of his attempted dribbles, whilst subsequently losing possession on 12 separate occasions from his 64 touches when trying to pick out a teammate.

After such a showing, the full-back was handed a measly 3/10 match rating, subsequently highlighting how disappointing he was for the second time in four days.

Following his dismal displays this week, Carrick should be left with no choice but to axe the defender from his starting eleven ahead of the final league game before the international break.

Dalot has constantly showcased that he’s not at the level needed for success, with the opposition likely to target his inability to provide the goods at either end should he remain a regular starter.