Manchester United beat Aston Villa 2-1 at Villa Park in the Premier League last weekend to consolidate their position in the sixth place in the league table. Rasmus Højlund and Scott McTominay scored for the Red Devils to earn three valuable points for them.
Manchester United now has 41 points from 24 matches, which is still five and six less than Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively. However, they have won four consecutive matches across all competitions and Erik ten Hag might be hoping for a top-four finish at the end of the season.
In this article, we will take a look at three reasons behind United’s revival. Let us get on with the list:
Manchester United’s full-backs defending well
Diogo Dalot, United’s right-back, has been consistently impressive with his defending of late. He has not allowed the opposition winger to get past him most of the times and has come up with timely interceptions.
Victor Lindelof was also good as the left-back against Villa, while Luke Shaw had a decent game against West Ham United prior to that. Lindelof actually replaced Shaw at half time on the weekend.
Much of United’s defensive problems originated from not guarding the flanks well during the first half of the season. It is good to see that ten Hag’s team has been able to address the issue.
Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo forming a solid double pivot
Casemiro has been solid since his comeback from injury and it is not a mere coincidence that there has been a change in United’s fortunes since his comeback. The 31-year-old Brazilian has formed a good partnership with Mainoo, who continues to impress for the Red Devils.
They have shielded the defence with authority and given United the much-needed assurance in the face of attacks from their opponents. In addition to that, both of them have also shown expertise in playing long balls forward. Casemiro, in particular, has often originated attacks with his probing forward passes.
Mainoo, on the other hand, has managed to score a couple of times, including his brilliant match-winner against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Manchester United seem to have finally found the combination in the double pivot they were looking for after having tried different combinations involving the likes of Christian Eriksen and Sofyan Amrabat.
Alejandro Garnacho and Højlund in good form
Garnacho has been doing to lesser extent what Marcus Rashford did for United last season. He has been dribbling past defenders, making speedy forays and also scoring goals at times to become the mainstay of United’s attack.
In addition to that, Højlund also seems to be his role as a centre forward. After having experienced a goal-drought in the Premier League for a long time, Højlund has now scored in five consecutive matches for United. He has been combining with the wingers well and has formed a lethal combination with Garnacho.
Should they continue playing like that, Manchester United can definitely think of finishing inside the top four. It remains to be seen whether their players are able to continue the good work for the remainder of the season.