United Beyond Manchester

Last season, a visit to the Gtech Community Stadium was a wake-up call. In the second match of the new season, Manchester United were thrashed 4-0 for a second consecutive loss. Josh Dasilva, Mathias Jensen, Ben Mee, and Bryan Mbuemo all scored in the first 35 minutes to plunge Manchester United into a week of self-reflection.

With two straight losses and an upcoming match against Liverpool, it seemed like the season might get away from Manchester United before it even got going. The Reds had conceded six goals in two matches and had one goal that was an own goal in the loss to Brighton.

After that loss, Erik Ten Hag said, “We have to encourage them, but also they have to get it by themselves because they know they are good players. Now we have to be a team and take responsibility.” And take responsibility they did.

Manchester United rebounded after the Brentford defeat to win against Liverpool and rattle off three more victories in a row. The four games after the visit to Gtech brought 12 points, 7 goals, and 2 clean sheets. United finished the season in the Top 4 and fingers can be pointed to that harrowing defeat as a major turning point for the team.

This weekend, Manchester United travels back to the Gtech Community Stadium needing a result to stay alive for the Top 4. With upcoming battles against Chelsea and Liverpool, the Reds need an away win to take confidence into those matches. The FA Cup win over Liverpool looked like a significant step in the right direction, but how will the team respond after the international break?

In my match preview, I predicted a win for United, as I believe this will be a great start to the final stretch of the season. With the returns of key players, this United side should have everything necessary to make Top 4.

Last season, Manchester United used a defeat to Brentford to turn things around and launch a Top 4 season. Can the team do it again, this time with a win?