“It was a bit over the top”: Lammens unhappy with dirty Everton tactic that got them nowhere in the end

Manchester United got the better of Everton 1-0 away at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday night. Super sub Benjamin Sesko’s goal proved to be the difference between the two sides as United remained unbeaten since Michael Carrick’s arrival, winning five out of six games in total. As a result, the Red Devils have climbed to fourth in the Premier League table, three clear off Chelsea in fifth, and only three points behind Aston Villa. The caretaker head coach will be pleased with the result, as it came despite the team not playing particularly well. Senne Lammens was a class act It was United’s third clean sheet under Carrick, and it came under challenging circumstances. David Moyes’ side aerially bombarded the United box through crosses and set-piece deliveries. All their corners were akin to Arsenal’s tactic of crowding the goalkeeper as a scuffle broke out almost every time. Yet Senne Lammens remained the coolest guy on the pitch. He dealt with each challenge confidently, and what was most impressive was he caught balls more often than not, only electing to punch when there was no other way out. Just imaging Andre Onana or Altay Bayindir in those type of situations should give United fans sleepless nights. “Since the manager’s come in, we’ve been defending really well!” Senne Lammens discusses Manchester United’s defensive reshuffle and the impact it’s had on their results 👏 pic.twitter.com/gWbh53tJD8 — Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 23, 2026 Man of the Match After the game, the Belgian was handed the Man of the Match award, and he was asked about the Toffees’ set-piece tactic by Sky Sports. “Everton are a physical team, their defenders are really big, We knew the corners and set pieces would be difficult, It’s a strength of mine [dealing with crosses], but today it was a bit over the top! “I had to be behind the line in order to come out. It was too much, but it can be difficult for the referee to see it. “Sometimes you can’t be thinking too much about players around you, because then you aren’t thinking about the ball. My defenders can create space for me, so I have opportunity to come and punch the ball away. But it is getting more and more difficult.” Pride when defending The summer signing has been a breath of fresh air at the back, and his commanding presence has certainly helped calm the backline which was leaking goals under Ruben Amorim. The former Royal Antwerp star praised his teammates for showing pride while defending and admitted the team had got better at keeping the ball out of the back of the net since Carrick’s arrival. “Today was about the hard work, defending together. We know we didn’t do our best, especially first half, it was difficult “We have to be better on the ball but if we defend well, don’t give balls away then we have the players up top to make the difference. “I always want to be confident. Since the manger has come in we have bee defending well together. we know if me and the defence keep it [goals against] to zero then we have a chance to win.” Senne Lammens needs to be at the top of his game next weekend when Crystal Palace come to Old Trafford. The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25