Manchester United are improving with each passing week and last weekend’s comfortable 3-0 win over Leicester City was the latest evidence that the Reds are moving in the right direction under Erik ten Hag.
The win puts United just five points behind league leaders Arsenal and eight points clear of fifth-placed Newcastle United – a position supporters would have only dreamed of after the first two games of the season.
United have lost just one game since the domestic season was resumed following a month-long pause to accommodate this winter’s World Cup in Qatar.
The win over Leicester, with goals coming from Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, saw Ten Hag’s men break a Premier League record this season.
According to OptaAnalyst, United created a whopping 4.5 xG (Expected Goals) from their 26 shots against Brendan Rodgers’ men – more than any other team has created in one match this season.
The scoreline was flattering for the visitors and in truth, Ten Hag will be disappointed not to have boosted United’s goal difference further after creating chances for fun.
Considering there have been some landslide victories in the Premier League this season (Liverpool’s 9-0 win over Bournemouth for example), it is astounding to see that United have now created the most goalscoring chances in one single game.
Ten Hag will be hoping for more of the same later this week when they welcome Barcelona to Old Trafford for the second leg of their Europa League play-off round.
United are in a good position to qualify, having earned a valuable 2-2 draw at the Spotify Camp Nou last week. Lisandro Martinez and Marcel Sabitzer were suspended for the first game but the pair are back and available for selection this week.