Michael Carrick admits winning late at Old Trafford is ‘the best feeling’

Michael Carrick savoured “the best feeling” after watching Benjamin Sesko’s stoppage-time winner earn Manchester United a dramatic 3-2 victory over Fulham.

United looked to have blown a comfortable 2-0 lead – given to them by Casemiro and Matheus Cunha – after Raul Jimenez scored an 85th-minute penalty and Kevin curled in a fine strike in the first minute of time added on.

But moments later Sesko struck as United made it three wins in a row under interim boss Carrick, climbing back into the Premier League’s top four.

“It’s the best feeling I have to say,” Carrick said of winning the game in what he knew as ‘Fergie time’ when a player here. “Some of the best moments I’ve been part of here, you can dissect performances and there are plusses and not, and then you get a moment of elation and excitement like that.

“For me there’s no better place than in front of the Stretford End like that. It ends up meaning more. People leave here with more than just, ‘United won today’ – it’s layers on top of that, the emotion and the feeling and it’s why we all love it so much.”

United had needed the intervention from substitute Sesko after allowing Fulham back into it at the death, a sign that there is still so much for Carrick to work on with his players even as he has produced a dramatic turnaround in results.

“The character we showed after a big setback, a huge setback, in the 90th minute, to do that coming off what we did last week off a setback (in the 3-2 win at Arsenal) is probably the most pleasing thing. To keep the belief, to keep the confidence.

“We can play better and that’s probably the most pleasing thing. The rest of the game, we can play better, we can do a lot of things better in certain moments but I can’t fault the players’ belief. It’s taken us through today and it’s a good feeling when it does.”

Fulham boss Marco Silva was left furious by the VAR decision which led to United’s opening goal – a Casemiro header from Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick.

Referee John Brooks initially pointed to the penalty spot after Cunha went down under Jorge Cuenca’s challenge.

Replays showed Cuenca won the ball, but instead of overturning the decision completely, VAR indicated United should be given a free-kick on the touchline.

The explanation was that Brooks had given the penalty for a pull which happened outside the box – but Silva felt the video assistant essentially re-refereed the game.

“The penalty was given – it was a bad, bad, bad decision from John Brooks,” Silva said. “The penalty was given for the tackle of Cuenca, that was clear, then after they found the pull three, four seconds before…

“The ball went for a corner. The feedback we got on the touchline was that after the review John Brooks was going to go to the screen because in VAR’s opinion it was not a penalty and that after that comes a completely different decision, they give a free-kick for a pull.

“It’s the first time this season that a penalty has been given for one incident and then a VAR decision comes from a completely different incident and gave a free-kick. It’s the first time we have seen that this season, last season, but maybe it comes more in the future.”