The buzz around Manchester United is continuing, on the back of a third successive Premier League win under Michael Carrick.
Having gathered our thoughts in the wake of the thrilling 3-2 triumph against Fulham at Old Trafford, it is time to articulate some of the moments that meant the most to us on another entertaining afternoon at the Theatre of Dreams.
The mood at Carrington is high on Monday, so we decided to focus on just what caught our eye and sticks in the mind, so long after the final whistle.
Check out our comments and see if they resonate with you, as the Reds regained a top-four spot in the table, in dramatic fashion...
Relive the excitement and tension of stoppage time - including Lisandro Martinez's clearances.
Sam Carney: Once we’d all stopped celebrating Benjamin Sesko’s (ultimately) winning goal, the realisation struck that there was still quite a bit of stoppage time left to play. United, naturally, sat back and tried to soak up the Fulham pressure, with Leny Yoro replacing Bryan Mbeumo. Sometimes, though, body language is more important than an extra body and, for Lisandro Martinez, the message in those closing seven-and-a-bit minutes was clear: you’ve got back in this game once, it ain’t gonna happen again.
We know all about the Argentinian’s never-say-die attitude – you don’t come back from three serious injuries without having a bit about you. Even so, his effort here was simply remarkable. I counted four separate blocks and two vital clearances from him alone, following Sesko’s strike, as the Cottagers looked to overload our left side and get the ball into the middle. Another telling contribution saw him rally the crowd, as the timer ticked past the allotted nine added minutes and there was still no squeak from referee John Brooks’s whistle.
Every top team requires leaders at the back and what we saw from our no.6 at the end there just summed up his passion, dedication and heart. Vamos!
EVERYBODY LOVES SURFING
Mark Froggatt: What do I love about Matheus Cunha? There’s a long list of things, but, first and foremost, he’s a brilliant player with United DNA. Then there’s the tenacious spirit and amazing attitude he’s shown under Michael Carrick so far.
Most of all, the guy is just a vibe. Absolute confidence, infectious energy and pure positively. His is the kind of spirit that only comes around so often in football – and it’s powerful. I love that he’s embracing life as a Red and it seems the world is too.
His ‘surfing’ celebration was trending following those delicious strikes against Arsenal and Fulham. Images of Amad and Bryan Mbeumo joining in at the Stretford End also went viral, and the former was still moving his hips on social media later in the evening.
There’s just one problem for me. I recently had ACL reconstruction surgery and surfing isn’t on my rehab plan... yet. Mark my words, though, in two to three weeks, I’ll be riding those waves in celebration of our talismanic Brazilian dancer.
See Matheus Cunha score and pull off his surfing celebration in front of the Stretford End.
SESKO'S SEMINAL MOMENT
Joe Ganley: Benjamin Sesko's winning goal against Fulham was United's 44th of this league campaign – meaning we've now equalled last year's total tally with 14 games still left to play. That fully vindicates last summer's recruitment policy, which focused on adding more attacking firepower to the frontline, and since Michael Carrick's arrival, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Sesko have now all come to the fore.
But, on an individual level, Sesko's stunning late contribution yesterday was arguably the most pleasing post-Carrick moment yet. Despite scoring three times under Darren Fletcher, the Slovenian has had to wait for his chance under our new leader, but that ice-cool 94th-minute finish means that he too is now fully riding the resurgent United wave.
Scoring a late winner in front of the Stretford End means he has fully arrived as a United player. It will relax him, fill him with confidence, bring him closer to the fans, and allow all the meticulous work that he does off the pitch – and we're not just talking about that haircut! – to flow into his match performances.
Short of Senne Lammens nodding home our third – a la Benfica's Anatoliy Trubin against Real Madrid – I can't think of a more perfect or popular ending to Sunday's match.
You'll never tire of watching Benjamin Sesko slam in the winner - and the bedlam that followed it.
THE STRETFORD END ROAR
Adam Marshall: Referee Pierluigi Collina famously likened the United fans’ celebrations in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final to a lion’s roar. Having been part of that spectacle, there is also something very special, and unique, about seeing Old Trafford reverberate to the sound of unbridled joy and chaos, in response to a big goal.
I know we have to retain some degree of respectability in the press box but there are times when emotion simply gets the better of you. What I noticed on Sunday was the fact there was something of a prolonged reaction to Benjamin Sesko’s winner. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why but, after the initial sound to acknowledge the strike finding the net, there was prolonged noise and then, in my mind, a second big roar.
It was hard to tell from my vantage point whether this was in relation to the players’ celebrations, which were pretty wild, but it was too early to pre-empt the absolute confirmation that the goal was going to count and there would be no VAR intervention or delay. I also don’t really see how there was any pause for parts of the ground to acknowledge the goal.
To me, it just felt like it was an outpouring of a bit of relief in the way we had responded to adversity and surrendering a commanding two-goal lead. In the 180 seconds that separated Kevin’s howitzer and Seko’s effort, so many things raced through my mind, an extraordinary amount when I later realised it was only that short period of time.
A lot of it was of a professional nature. The whole week ahead, without a game until Spurs come to Old Trafford on Saturday, but also the sadness in not being able to secure a third successive win, when we had done so much to warrant it. So, all things considered, it felt like a burst of elation to see the shot hit the net but then a second dopamine hit when registering that, after all, the winning run, and all that it means under Michael Carrick, was continuing after all.
Our head coach was right to acknowledge the unique buzz of a Stretford End winner in injury time. Surely nothing could possibly ever match the thrill of witnessing the Treble at the Nou Camp but losing yourself in that moment, at our brilliant spiritual home, is precisely why we are so utterly devoted and addicted to United and the game.
Mikey Partington: I loved everything about the Brazilian’s big performance on Sunday and was glad to see his efforts recognised with a standing ovation from Old Trafford as he was substituted, an honour which felt inevitable as his number was signalled by the fourth official.
His first-half header to put us in front was emphatic, and there’s something about the trademark nonchalance that he wheels away in celebration with that just feels so endearing. There was little emotion on his face before a cheeky smirk to his team-mates by the corner flag, but you just know that he is fizzing with glee on the inside, every time he contributes to the United cause.
His no-look assist for Matheus Cunha’s advantage-extender in the second half was just another sign of the ever-present class that it feels like we have to enjoy every drop of between now and the end of the season, before his planned summer departure.
Our no.18 is a cool customer, but the emotion then will be harder to hide!