Manchester United’s priority this season is Champions League qualification. February’s Carabao Cup triumph sprinkled winners’ stardust on the club after a six-year wait and Erik ten Hag’s side can add the FA Cup by beating Manchester City in next month’s final. But each would be exchanged for the top‑four finish which is viewed, as Ten Hag has said, as a must. Yet since being 2-0 ahead at home to Sevilla on 13 April in their Europa League quarter-final first leg, United’s form has flatlined. That game ended 2-2 and only two of the following seven were won in regulation time, with Brighton beaten on penalties in the FA Cup semi-finals. Ten Hag has talked proudly about how his team have bounced back from defeats but Sunday’s reverse at West Ham meant two losses in a row for the first time since August. It has left the Dutchman requiring victory in three of the last four league matches to ensure a Champions League berth. What, then, has been going wrong … ?
