Manchester United halted their three-game winless run in the Premier League with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Brentford at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening.
Marcus Rashford netted the only goal of the game shortly before the half-hour mark, scoring United's first league goal since Jadon Sancho put the gloss on a 3-0 triumph over Leicester City on February 19. Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United, not least the manner of it, meant the Reds were under intense pressure to arrest their recent wobble and climb back into the top four.
Although Erik ten Hag's side successfully achieved that mission, they are only three points ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, meaning they can ill-afford to take their foot off the pedal as the race for Champions League qualification intensifies. Four of United's next six league fixtures are away from home and their form on the road this season has been patchy to say the least.
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It means they must take full advantage of Saturday's Old Trafford showdown against relegation-threatened Everton. United are unbeaten in the league in M16 since the opening day of the season and have not conceded on their own patch since February 8.
That, however, is not to say United can underestimate Everton. The Toffees are currently on a four-game unbeaten run and have taken points off Brentford, Chelsea and Tottenham during that period. They have also proven to be a lot harder to beat since Sean Dyche took charge in January.
That, however, is not to say that United cannot find a way to break Everton down and scoop all three points and, even if only temporarily, climb back up to third ahead of Newcastle facing Brentford later in the day. Newcastle retained third with a thumping 5-1 win over West Ham United on Wednesday night, meaning they have now scored 11 goals in their last four league matches.
United, by contrast, have scored just once in their last four. The Reds' goalscoring issues have been highlighted throughout the season and that is exposed all the more when you look at the goal difference column in the table. United currently boast a tally of just +5, whereas Newcastle boast an impressive tally of +26.
United are the lowest scorers currently camped inside the top six, scoring just 42 league goals this season. They have had to rely on their defensive solidity to position themselves in the conversation for Champions League qualification for next term, just as a regular pattern in their results shows.
The win over Brentford marked United's 16th triumph of the Premier League campaign, meaning they have now won as many league games this season as they managed in the whole of last term. Interestingly, of those 16 wins, ten of them have been accompanied by a clean sheet, meaning they have only won six games when the opposition has also scored.
At this point, it is fair and only right to point out that every club, regardless of the division, wants to accompany a win with a clean sheet. However, United are proving that they are more reliant on their defenders than their attackers to win games.
United struggle to outscore their opponents, highlighted by their lack of goals this season. Five of the six victories that have been recorded when the opposition has scored have only been by a one-goal margin, with the 3-1 win over Arsenal back in September the only exception.
The Reds, too, have won five games 1-0 this season, again highlighting their reliability on their defence to preserve a clean sheet and keep the opposition out. United's joint-biggest victory in the league this season is a 3-0 win, with Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Leicester all being on the receiving end of that scoreline.
It highlights just why Ten Hag is so desperate to strengthen his attacking options this forthcoming summer with the addition of a world-class striker. United cannot continue to rely on their defence to see them through, even though the importance of a reliable backline can never be underestimated.
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