Manchester United were comfortable in their 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday, and in all honestly they should have at least doubled the scoreline.
Marcus Rashford and Antony were guilty of missing glorious chances, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka's attacking awkwardness was laid bare when he scuffed a shot wide from six yards with the goal gaping. But Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial did find the net to keep a valuable three points in M16.
Those points were even more valuable come 5pm, with Newcastle and Tottenham beating Brentford and Brighton respectively. Defeat would have seen Erik ten Hag's side drop out of the top four, but defeats rarely come at Old Trafford and so it came to pass as United strolled to a seventh home win in eight.
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The Reds have lost just twice in their 25 home games across all competitions this season, Old Trafford a fortress where dominance is standard procedure. On their travels, it is a different picture entirely - and a concerning one at that.
Six wins and two draws from 14 games leaves United seventh in the table when looking only at results away from home, and below both Tottenham and Newcastle, their two main rivals for a top-four spot. It is also worse than Brighton and Aston Villa, the surprise pair for a late charge.
What is more damning is that against current top-half sides, they have lost six from seven, a 2-1 win at Fulham the only points to be brought back to Manchester.
Four of their next six league games are on the road, including trips to direct rivals Tottenham and Brighton, neither of whom they can afford to drop points against. And while both Nottingham Forest and West Ham are battling relegation, both have relied on relatively strong home form to keep them alive - they would be mid-table on home results exclusively.
Such a run of fixtures will be season-defining, given how little football is left to play. At Old Trafford, United have Chelsea, Aston Villa, Wolves and Fulham - all winnable matches in a ground where home victories are common.
Qualification for next season's Champions League will be dependant on away form and the ability of Ten Hag to turn around fortunes that have been problematic all campaign. They have a buffer of three points and a game in hand on Spurs, but defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in particular could see that wiped out.
Four of United's six wins on the road have come with a clean sheet, and three have ended 1-0. It doesn't need to be champagne football on the road and they don't have to blow teams away, but they do need to start winning.
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