Benjamin Sesko enhanced his reputation as Manchester United's super-sub after firing the Red Devils to a crucial 1-0 Premier League win away to Everton on Tuesday (AEDT).
Slovenian star Sesko has now scored six goals in seven games since Michael Carrick replaced Ruben Amorim as manager.
The win lifted United into fourth place on the ladder, three points clear of fellow mega-clubs Chelsea and Liverpool.
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"The previous manager couldn't really get a performance out of him," England legend Michael Owen said on Stan Sport's coverage.
"And now all of a sudden he's banging in goals left, right and centre. He's not even been starting a lot of the time. So that's a big win for Manchester United.
"It wasn't their best performance – they've played a lot better under that man Michael Carrick – but keeping clean sheets, with the attack that they've got, he's got one or two players who can just turn on a bit of magic. It was the three new signings that combined for the goal as well.
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"Sitting a little bit deeper and hitting on the counterattack just suits this team at the moment."
Sesko sealed an uninspiring clash in the 71st minute as he swept in a first-time shot from Bryan Mbeumo's assist after Matheus Cunha delivered a great pass to set it up.
"Fantastic from deep. He (Cunha) had to do a bit of defending, especially in the second half," Carrick said.
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"It was some pass over the top and the next couple of bits from Bryan and Ben finished it off. We needed a whole team performance because of the pressure Everton put us under…
"Great finish. It was a ruthless finish. He put it away with real confidence. Great play from Matheus and Bryan to set it up. We've got the players to do that on the break. Delighted for Ben, coming on to help us again."
Sesko's goal was a rare moment of quality in a scrappy match in which United almost took the lead in the opening minutes when James Tarkowski cleared an Amad Diallo effort off the line.
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Having managed just two goals in his first 17 games for the club this season, Sesko is now red-hot and making a rock solid case to start. But Carrick was non-commital.
"Listen, Ben's in a good place at the moment," he said.
"We've had some really good talks about it. Patience is one thing and building him and growing, developing him as a player. He's a patient and he understands he's going to be a big player for us for a while now. We've got some good forward players. The balance has been good and we need to continue that."
United keeper Senne Lammens had a relatively quiet night but was called into action late on to deny teenager Harrison Armstrong before keeping out Michael Keane's long-range effort.
"He made a couple of really good saves. He looked really calm and composed in a tough environment. A lot of corners coming in under his bar and a lot of bodies. Good clean catches and he was immense for us tonight."
Carrick is still yet to lose a game in any competition across both of his spells as United manager (seven wins, two draws.
Only Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (11) and Herbert Bamlett (10) managed more games for the club before experiencing their first defeat.
"I'm delighted with the result and the spirit, and the boys digging deep and sacrificing for each other. It gives me a lot of encouragement going forward. But there's still so much to come from us in a positive way," Carrick said.
– with Reuters
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