It wasn’t pretty in the end, but for the first time since December 2021, Manchester United have won three on the bounce
In a game of two halves, United produced enough going forward in the first half to force the issue with Jadon Sancho scoring his second of the season as Erik ten Hag's men comfortably held on for the win.
We look at five things learned from this latest encounter:
I love it when a back four comes together
Harry Maguire missed his third straight game of the season, and for now, it doesn’t look as though he will be getting a look in any time soon.
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The sight of Diogo Dalot blocking a cross then running over to pump his chest and shout "Vamos" to Lisandro Martinez is the one United fans will take away from the game.
United finally have a back four that look settled with each passing game but noticeably, they’ve had to do a lot of defending in the last two games in particular and they’ve passed with flying colours
Southampton 2.0
If the game had a familiar feel it’s because there was an extremely similar trajectory to the Southampton game. United put a few neat passing moves together, scored a goal then held the fort.
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The game became unnecessarily scrappy towards the end, and but for a very bad Leicester team, United might’ve conceded on another day.
It doesn’t feel as though United should approach every game with just trying to take the sting out of the game so early, as the sequences and energy had really dropped with 30 minutes left to play.
Eriksen needs a rest
There is an Arsenal game just around the corner on Sunday and Christian Eriksen may play, he completed 86 minutes vs Liverpool, 90 vs Southampton and the full game today, when it was so visibly obvious that Fred should’ve came on for him earlier.
Eriksen seems to be the beating heart of United’s tempo and the necessary calm to Bruno Fernandes’s scattergun approach, but his minutes may be needed to managed come the dog days of the season, as the Dane looked shattered.
United building the lost confidence of last year
It was always going to take time to adapt to Erik ten Hag but a win such as this and Southampton provides United and these players who have come under intense scrutiny with a huge boost, in the wake of their confidence decimating last season.
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The tactics and sequences of play can be learnt, but the mental barrier of playing for United and the trauma of last season are slowly eroding with each passing win.
Ten Hag Ball incoming?
The first half was probably the best since the Dutchman’s arrival this season, in the Premier League at least.
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Inverted full-backs, the high team shape, dictating the tempo, it felt a little like pre-season again and but for the odd lapse in decision-making United should’ve probably had another goal.
Slowly but surely it seems as though the Ten Hag blueprint is coming alive, which is an extremely exciting prospect.
Featured Image Credit: Manchester UnitedTopics: Leicester City, Manchester United, Premier League, Erik Ten Hag, Christian Eriksen
