When Manchester United began their season with back-to-back defeats against Brighton and Brentford, many supporters feared the worst for the rest of the campaign. It was the worst possible start under Erik ten Hag, but the Dutchman, and his players, soon steadied the ship.
Prior to the defeat against Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday night, the Reds had gone on a four-match winning run - which saw United record victories over Liverpool, Southampton, Leicester City and Arsenal.
While the performances against Southampton and Leicester were far from convincing, Ten Hag - and many fans and pundits - took pleasure in the team's ability to grind out a result. In contract, the Reds impressed against Liverpool and Arsenal, and executed their respective game plans perfectly.
