Manchester United will be going in search of a third consecutive Premier League win at Old Trafford for the first time this calendar year when they host Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon.
The Reds, who needed a 93rd-minute winner from Scott McTominay to scrape past Cypriot side Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League in midweek, have won each of their last two league outings in M16, beating both Liverpool (2-1) and Arsenal (3-1). They were just the sort of results they were desperate for having been beaten 2-1 by Brighton & Hove Albion on the opening day of the campaign.
Having got the better of Arsenal, who are the current Premier League leaders, in their last home outing in the league, United will fancy their chances of picking up another maximum haul of points, although Newcastle are guaranteed to offer a stern test, such is the level of improvement they have made so far this term. The Magpies are only one point behind the Reds in the current standings and have lost just once so far this season.
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United, though, are continuing to make steady progress under Erik ten Hag and have won three of their last four outings on their own patch in all competitions, courtesy of McTominay's late heroics on Thursday evening. However, the Reds have struggled to string a positive run of results together on their own patch this year, last winning three successive Premier League home games in December last year.
United, after sacking former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer just over a week earlier, got the better of Arsenal, winning 3-2 under the caretaker stewardship of Michael Carrick, before winning their first two home games of the Ralf Rangnick era, beating both Crystal Palace (1-0) and Burnley (3-1).
However, despite recently struggling to put a consistent run of positive results together in M16, United have only lost twice in the Premier League on their own patch in 2022, the most recent of which, of course, was on Ten Hag's competitive debut in charge against Brighton.
As well as looking to register a third successive Premier League home win for the first time in ten months against the Magpies, United will also be going in search of a first home league win accompanied by a clean sheet since defeating Brentford 3-0 back in May. The Reds have conceded in all but one of their first five Old Trafford outings in all competitions this season, meaning Ten Hag will be desperate to see his side keep Newcastle at bay.
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