Benjamin Šeško has scored six goals in seven games to continue his scintillating goal-scoring form under Michael Carrick at Manchester United.
The Slovenian had recently been starting on the bench and coming off it to great effect, drawing comparisons to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Benjamin Šeško has produced match-defining moments against Crystal Palace, Everton, West Ham and Fulham. Talk about impact.
In Sunday’s Premier League win over the Eagles, though, he was rewarded a start by his manager, Michael Carrick. It was a case of a different situation, same outcome – it saw the Reds soar into third and strengthen their grip on Champions League football.
The winner, assisted by Manchester United’s creative machine, Bruno Fernandes, was an old-fashioned centre forward’s goal, sparking a different comparison. This time, Tommy Taylor was the man on fans’ lips.
Šeško’s winner was Taylor’s trademark
Šeško rose highest to power past Dean Henderson for the winning goal – a header fit enough to win any match and a finish ripped out of the Taylor playbook. Known as the ‘smiling executioner’, Taylor thrived on such moments in the 1950s. He was a formidable focal point who instilled fear into defenders.
The Yorkshireman was United’s most prolific striker, netting 131 times in 191 appearances. In modern times, Ruud van Nistelrooy comes closest to Taylor’s record, scoring 150 times in 219 appearances.
There was something timeless about Šeško’s winning goal: the leap, the thud of contact and the sheer authority in the air. Turning deliveries into goals was Taylor’s trademark. His physical presence, along with his towering frame, was enough to unnerve any defence.
Although he is best known for being powerfully potent in the air, he was more than that – a clinical finisher who was two-footed with a relentless work rate.
Similar to Šeško, who has displayed an array of different finishes: he relied on instinct against West Ham and Fulham, finished off a counter-attack with conviction against Everton, and used his aerial ability against Palace.
Want to stay as up-to-date as possible on the latest Manchester United updates? Add UtdDistrict as a preferred source on Google for news you can rely on.
Football’s old habits are returning
Moments like Šeško’s winning header act as a bridge between generations. From Taylor rising above defenders in the 1950s to modern forwards doing the same today, football has always preserved certain truths. Tactics evolve, but the sight of a centre-forward climbing highest in the penalty area remains one of the game’s most enduring images.
For a long stretch, the sport appeared to move away from that tradition. The game drifted towards patient build-up and a focus on possession. Yet the Premier League this season has quietly reminded everyone that football’s oldest weapons never truly disappear.
Read more: Fabrizio Romano says there is “already some movement” on Man Utd’s first summer sale
Across the division, there has been a noticeable return to more direct methods – long throws launched deep into the penalty area, towering strikers attacking crosses, and set-pieces are back in fashion. In an era of carefully constructed systems, these moments often decide matches.
Šeško’s header was synonymous with Taylor – the type of header that would have looked entirely at home in the Yorkshireman’s era. Football continually reinvents itself, but some ways of scoring never fall out of fashion.
For Šeško, though, it was big Ben strikes again.