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Saturday 04 October 2025 17:14
Manchester United recorded a 2-0 win in our Premier League assignment against Sunderland, on the Wearsiders’ first visit to Old Trafford in almost a decade.
All inside the Theatre of Dreams perfectly observed a minute’s silence before kick-off, to remember those affected by Thursday’s Heaton Park Synagogue attack, after which the game got under way.
The Premier League meeting provided goalkeeper Senne Lammens with his United debut, following his deadline-day move from Belgian side Royal Antwerp this summer, and he marked the occasion with a clean sheet.
Mason Mount opened the scoring early in the first half with a tidy finish, which was added to on the half-hour mark when Benjamin Sesko poked home his second United goal.
Those two efforts proved sufficient to land the Reds all three points in the Saturday afternoon clash, although both goalkeepers – Lammens and his Dutch counterpart Robin Roefs – made good saves at key moments.
Senne Lammens steps out for his Manchester United debut.
FIRST HALF – TWO GOALS UP
The visitors raced out of the blocks with all the vigour of a newly promoted side on a good run of form – they had lost just one of their first six games before this meeting – and they were buoyed by a vocal travelling support. They looked to have created an opening when Simon Adingra found Bertrand Traore in the middle with less than five minutes gone, but the latter scuffed his shot, with Adingra later judged offside in any case.
The bubbling atmosphere and rapid start could have rocked the Reds, but instead just eight minutes were needed to dampen Sunderland spirits.
Bryan Mbeumo expertly picked out Mount with a delivery from the right, the Englishman calmly controlling the ball inside a crowded box with his left foot, before dispatching a low shot with his right that evaded the grasp of Roefs, opening our account for the afternoon with his first Premier League goal at Old Trafford for United.
In amongst that flurry of early action, there were a few nice touches for Lammens, as he exuded calm with the ball at his feet and showed steady hands when Matthijs de Ligt headed the ball back to him to fend off any potential danger – to applause each time from a supportive M16 crowd, on such a big occasion for the Belgian.
Mbeumo and Amad both drew saves from Roefs with almost-identical curled left-foot efforts midway through the half, but neither came as close as Bruno Fernandes with a wicked shot placed neatly towards the top-right corner, somehow tipped on to the bar by the Dutch gloveman. Amad nodded the rebound back across goal, but it was just too far ahead of Mount for him to tap it into the empty net.
The Reds didn’t dwell on that missed opportunity for too long, however, making our relentless attacking pressure pay just past the half-hour mark. Diogo Dalot launched a throw-in towards the Black Cats’ box, which met the head of Nordi Mukiele first, but he could only direct it into the path of Sesko.
The Slovenian didn’t need a second invitation to tuck home his second United goal from close range, having notched his first a week earlier against Brentford.
So dominant had Amorim’s men been that Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris felt it necessary to withdraw Adingra, an attacker, in favour of centre-back Dan Ballard, to match our shape.
That did provide some extra stability for the Black Cats, who used that as a platform to build a couple of attacks of their own, but a strong diving save and a confident high claim from Lammens settled things down, moments after he had palmed Granit Xhaka’s shot out for a corner.
The Belgian was almost called into action in stoppage-time when the visitors were awarded a penalty for a high foot from Sesko, but VAR overturned Stuart Attwell’s decision, and United got to the interval with our two-goal cushion intact.
Two goals in two games for Benjamin Sesko.
SECOND HALF – WIN CONFIRMED
There was another penalty scare at the start of the second half as Traore went down in the United box after squeezing between Fernandes and an onrushing Lammens, but the assistants at Stockley Park were not needed for this one, with Attwell quickly waving appeals away, before carding the Sunderland man for simulation.
United were less assertive at the beginning of the half, with short passes going astray and shots flying wide when the Reds did build an attack. But, thankfully, the Black Cats didn’t manage to seize the opportunity to get themselves back in the game.
Our two first-half goals had put us in a good position despite the impetus being lacking on the other side of the break, but there was still a hint of tension to the crowd inside a windy Theatre of Dreams, that only a third goal was likely to address.
That wasn’t helped when substitute Brian Bobbey was just inches away from getting a touch on a Mukiele cross flashed across the goalmouth, but once again Amorim’s charges emerged unscathed.
Matthijs de Ligt was a strong presence at the back as United faced increased second-half pressure.
Substitute Matheus Cunha looked to have created an opening of his own when he tirelessly chased a long Lammens ball, but an inch-perfect tackle from Lutsharel Geertruida in the penalty area denied him the opportunity to shoot.
Our no.10 rose well to meet the resulting corner, with some in the crowd believing he’d turned the ball into Roefs’ net, but in reality his header flashed just wide of the post.
Following another effort on goal from the Brazilian, which was saved, Sunderland gave it one last go in the final few minutes to salvage something from the game. Chemsdine Talbi had a clear shot on goal after making a left-wing run, but Lammens stood strong, denying the one-on-one effort, before rising well moments later to calm any late nerves.
United were undoubtedly stronger in the first period than we were in the second, but we did enough to claim all three points on the day, with Lammens ensuring he kicked his Reds career off with a clean sheet following an assured performance.
A clean sheet on debut for Lammens.
MATCH DETAILS
United: Lammens; Yoro (Maguire 85), De Ligt, Shaw; Amad, Casemiro (Ugarte 85), Fernandes (c), Dalot (Dorgu 64); Mbeumo (Mainoo 77), Mount (Cunha 64); Sesko.
Subs not used: Bayindir, Heaven, Leon, Zirkzee.
Goals: Mount 8, Sesko 31.
Booked: Casemiro.
Sunderland: Roefs; Hume (Geertruida 79), Mukiele, Alderete, Masuaku (Talbi 58); Xhaka, Sadiki; Adingra (Ballard 37), Traore (Mayenda 58), Le Fee; Isidor (Brobbey 59).
Subs not used: Patterson, O’Nien, Neil, Rigg.
Booked: Alderete, Sadiki, Traore, Xhaka.
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Saturday 04 October 2025 17:14
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