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Manchester United are transformed under Michael Carrick and Benjamin Sesko proves it

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When Manchester United were looking for a saviour this season, they opted not to revert to their greatest supersub. They may not have Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the dugout but they seem to have his successor in spirit on the pitch. Benjamin Sesko is yet to start a game under Michael Carrick but he has come off the bench to score three times, all significant goals, delivering an extra five points.

First, the winner against Fulham, then an equaliser at West Ham, now a decider at Everton. It was early by Sesko’s standards – in the 71st minute, rather than injury time, when Jordan Pickford denied him a second – but it felt further evidence of Carrick’s nous. United had looked blunt before his arrival, lacking inspiration and a focal point in attack. Sesko is the only pure No 9 in the squad and, once again, he illustrated the merits of a penalty-box presence. In time, Carrick may have an issue if he can keep naming Sesko on the bench. For now, their alliance is benefiting both. Carrick said: “I have got a really good relationship with Ben. He has taken some huge steps recently.”

In a game low on drama, the goal came from a sweeping move. Everton, who had been the more positive in the second half, may regret committing too many men forward, leaving themselves open to the counter-attack which, whether under Carrick or Solskjaer, tends to be United’s most potent weapon.

Manchester United have won five of their six games under Carrick

Manchester United have won five of their six games under Carrick (AP)

Sesko was involved twice in a move that involved their three big summer signings. He laid the ball off to Matheus Cunha, who sprayed a diagonal pass to release Bryan Mbeumo. He was confronted only by Michael Keane and squared the ball for Sesko, who had run 70 yards to slide in a shot. “It was a ruthless finish,” said Carrick. “I like the way he put it away with real confidence.” It was the Slovenian’s eighth goal for United. He only had two in 17 games when Ruben Amorim was sacked.

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And United have been transformed since then. They took their haul under Carrick to 16 points from a possible 18, a charge that is putting them on a path towards the Champions League. A distinctly mundane match nevertheless produced a fine result for United.

Arguably, they undid some of the damage done on one of Amorim’s most ignominious nights. In November, his United were clueless when confronted with the 10 men of Everton and lost at Old Trafford. The rematch was different and not just because Idrissa Gueye completed the evening without slapping a teammate. Unlike Amorim, Carrick found a way. Successful substitutions have been a theme of his reign, and not just those involving Sesko.

For one of his predecessors, it was a frustrating reunion. David Moyes has now seen Everton go seven games without a win at Hill Dickinson Stadium. They are yet to record a win over elite opposition at their deluxe ground, and when they were looking more ambitious than United, they conceded.

Cunha and Mbeumo combined to set up Sesko on the break

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Cunha and Mbeumo combined to set up Sesko on the break (Action Images via Reuters)

They had rarely threatened to in the preceding hour. They almost struck early, when James Tarkowski cleared Amad Diallo’s fourth-minute shot off the line, though Pickford had taken some of the sting out of it. Thereafter, Diogo Dalot thudded a long-range half-volley into the advertising hoardings while, after the break, Mbeumo blazed a shot over from an acute angle.

If the first half had seemed mostly a contest to give the ball away, United could savour the earthy qualities that earned them a result. “I’m delighted with the result and spirit, the boys digging deep and sacrificing for each other,” said Carrick. He played his own part. They had too little threat on either flank, so he removed Amad, brought on Sesko and recalibrated his side.

Moyes, of course, did not have a £73m striker in reserve, or in the team, for that matter. “The quality you are talking about costs big money,” he lamented.

The cheaper striker he does have, Thierno Barry, could have scored inside 10 seconds, albeit without knowing much about it, when Senne Lammens slammed a clearance into him. After that, the Belgian impressed rather more. “Senne was outstanding tonight,” said Carrick. “As a goalkeeper, you couldn’t hope for much more: safe hands, calm, composed, an exemplary performance.”

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Senne Lammens faced an aerial bombardment from Everton but stood tall to keep his first away clean sheet

Senne Lammens faced an aerial bombardment from Everton but stood tall to keep his first away clean sheet (Getty Images)

Lammens held on to James Garner’s well-struck free kick, saved from Harrison Armstrong less than 30 seconds into the second half and, as Everton chased an equaliser, tipped away Keane’s thunderbolt from distance and thwarted the replacement, Tyrique George, in injury time. “Their goalie was bloody brilliant,” said Moyes, who nominated Lammens as his man of the match. Everton had directed a series of corners under the bar. They had not realised Lammens would deal with them so well, Moyes reflected ruefully.

With three summer signings combining for the goal, a fourth excelling in goal, it felt like a triumph for United’s recruitment. Of players and, more recently, a head coach.

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WTA roundup: Rebeka Masarova pulls off first-round upset in Austin

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24 February 2026

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Tennis: Miami OpenMar 22, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Rebeka Masarova (SUI) hits a forehand against Danielle Collins (USA)(not pictured) on day five of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Swiss qualifier Rebeka Masarova overpowered third-seeded Xinyu Wang of China 6-3, 6-2 in the first round of the ATX Open on Monday in Austin, Texas.

Masarova won 85.7% of her first-serve points (30 of 35) and saved four of the five break points she faced. She avenged a loss to Wang three weeks ago in the second round at Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

The only other seeded player in action on Monday, No. 7 Anna Bondar of Hungary, lost to Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova 6-3, 7-5.

In a matchup of U.S. qualifiers, Whitney Osuigwe rallied past Elizabeth Mandlik 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.

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Taylor Townsend of the United States edged the Czech Republic’s Linda Fruhvirtova 4-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5, but two other U.S. players lost. Czech qualifier Nikola Bartunkova beat Katie Volynets 6-4, 7-5, and Russia’s Oksana Selekhmeteva defeated Alycia Parks 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

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Marina Stakusic, a 21-year-old Canadian ranked 142nd in the world, upset fifth-seeded Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine 6-4, 6-3 in the first round at Merida, Mexico.

The result was the first tour-level win for Stakusic this year. She fell in the first round at Canberra, Australian, then qualified for the Australian Open before losing in the first round at Melbourne. Stakusic was aided on Monday by Yastremska’s six double faults.

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Great Britain’s Katie Boulter and Colombia’s Emiliana Arango earned straight-set wins, while Andorra’s Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva eked out a 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 victory over Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva.

–Field Level Media

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Dynasty QB Rankings Update: February 2026 movers, Malik Willis watch, and more.

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24 February 2026

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Dynasty ranking changes from January to February are generally pretty minimal. They are mostly influenced by the smattering of news we get and my first run at 2026 Fantasy Football projections. This year, at quarterback, the changes in the rankings are almost completely nonexistent. Just don’t get used to this static situation because before I release my March rankings, there are at least eight quarterbacks who could change uniforms and their Dynasty outlook radically altered.

My way-too-early 2026 quarterback projections are here.

The first two obvious names are Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa. Both of their respective teams have new coaches and have expressed at least some interest in moving on from their very expensive quarterbacks. The risk of them not finding starting jobs has already been factored in to some degree, but it could be worse. For either of these quarterbacks, if their situations are unresolved a month from now, I will be more nervous. At the same time, if they find a new home as a starter in March, they could be risers. I am more optimistic both about Murray’s chances of finding a starting job and his Fantasy upside if he does, which is why he is ranked considerably higher than Tagovailoa.

Earlier in February, I had Jay Felicio from QB List on Fantasy Football Today Dynasty to discuss the state of the quarterback position. Check it out:

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The free agent I am most interested in monitoring in the next month is Malik Willis. From my view, those two teams we just talked about, the Dolphins and the Cardinals, are the two most likely to give Willis a starter’s contract in 2026. The path to him being a riser in the next month is if Willis receives a contract that offers him more long-term security than what Justin Fields received last year. These two coaching staffs have close connections to the Packers, so if anyone is willing to take that risk, it should be them. Over the past two seasons, Willis has thrown 89 passes and averaged 10.9 yards per attempt with six touchdowns and zero interceptions. Combine that with his rushing upside, and if Willis gets a three-year deal, he could vault into the top 20 in the rankings below.

Other quarterbacks who could see the biggest gains or losses in the next month are Jacoby Brissett, Aaron Rodgers, Daniel Jones, and Geno Smith. Of course, we have no reason to expect Rodgers to make a decision that fast, and we’ll have to wait until August at least to see how Jones’ rehab is coming. One thing is for sure: We should expect far more changes in the Dynasty QB rankings next month than we got this month. We may even get to add Derek Carr back in if he decides to return to the NFL.

I don’t rank rookies until they are drafted, but I have already started to think about where I will put them. Assuming Fernando Mendoza is taken first overall by the Raiders, I anticipate he will rank somewhere between QB15 and QB18 in the rankings below. I would be surprised if any other rookie cracks the top 25.

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Here are my updated Dynasty QB rankings:

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Alexander Zverev vs Corentin Moutet preview, head-to-head, odds, prediction & betting tips

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24 February 2026

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Match Details

Fixture: Alexander Zverev vs Corentin Moutet

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Date: Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Tournament: ATP Mexican Open 2026

Round: First Round

Category: ATP 500

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Surface: Hard (outdoor)

Venue: Arena GNP Seguros, Acapulco, Mexico

Prize Money: US$2,469,450 (total prize pool)

Live Telecast: USA – Tennis Channel | UK – Sky Sports | Canada – TSN

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Alexander Zverev vs Corentin Moutet preview

Zverev in action at the 2026 Australian Open (Source: Getty)Zverev in action at the 2026 Australian Open (Source: Getty)
Zverev in action at the 2026 Australian Open (Source: Getty)

Alexander Zverev is set to get his 2026 Mexican Open campaign underway with a potentially tricky first-round outing against Corentin Moutet.

The World No. 4 German is the top seed in Acapulco, and the ATP 500 hardcourt event will mark his first competitive outing since his heartbreaking loss to Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals of the Australian Open. Zverev finished as the runner-up in Acapulco back in 2019, but two years later, managed to win the title by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.

Moutet, the World No. 35 from France, like Zverev, was beaten by Alcaraz in Melbourne. The crafty Frenchman then took a short break before featuring in ATP Tour-level action once more at the recently-concluded Delray Beach Open. Here, eventual runner-up Tommy Paul dashed his hopes in the very first round.

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Alexander Zverev vs Corentin Moutet head-to-head

Moutet in action at the 2026 Delray Beach Open (Source: Getty)Moutet in action at the 2026 Delray Beach Open (Source: Getty)
Moutet in action at the 2026 Delray Beach Open (Source: Getty)

Zverev and Moutet have locked horns twice in the past and on both occasions, the German has come out on top. Their first meeting, at the ATP 250 tournament in Stuttgart last year, resulted in a straight-set win for Zverev. However, their second clash, at last year’s China Open, went the distance, with the German ultimately downing the Frenchman 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.

Alexander Zverev vs Corentin Moutet odds

Player Name Moneyline Handicap Bets Total Games
Alexander Zverev -500 -4.5 (+105) Over 21.5 (-125)
Corentin Moutet +340 +4.5 (-150) Under 21.5 (-115)

(Odds via BetMGM)

Alexander Zverev vs Corentin Moutet prediction

Zverev is a heavy favorite to defeat Corentin Moutet in their upcoming first-round match at the 2026 Mexican Open. The German, the 2021 champion in Acapulco, has started 2026 strongly, reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open and boasting a 5-1 record in his recent matches.

Conversely, Moutet has struggled with form, losing four of his last six matches, and has never defeated the German. Zverev’s superior power, consistent serving, and experience on the hard courts of Mexico make him far too strong for the Frenchman.

While Moutet is talented, he is unlikely to break through Zverev’s defense. Expect a dominant performance from Zverev, cruising to a straight-sets victory.. The match should confirm Zverev’s status as a top contender for the 2026 Acapulco title.

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Pick: Zverev to win in straight sets.

Alexander Zverev vs Corentin Moutet betting tips

Tip 1: An upset is possible given Zverev’s return from a break, making ‘Corentin Moutet +4.5 Games’ a potential alternative for those expecting a closer contest than the straight-set prediction.

Tip 2: Zverev to win all his service games.