It was 19 February when Jadon Sancho put Manchester United three goals ahead against Leicester. Since then, 19 teams have scored in the Premier League. The other is United. On 19 February, they were six points behind Arsenal. Now the gap is 22. They are as close to Arsenal as they are to Wolves.
And if the numbers reflect the way United have disrupted their own fixture list by fighting on four fronts to such an extent that only three of their last nine fixtures have been in the Premier League, the context has changed. Rather than being improbable title challengers, United are at risk of missing out on the Champions League. A top-four finish has seemed an inevitability for much of 2023. Now it is at risk.
