If the Bees could destroy United so easily, they couldn’t bear to think what Manchester City and Liverpool would do to them. But fast forward three weeks and United look a transformed team. Liverpool were beaten against all odds and early Premier League pacers Arsenal too, not to mention Southampton and Leicester in between. Erik ten Hag waves in the stands at Old Trafford after Manchester United beat Arsenal on Sunday United produced a stunning display of counter-attacking football to record another win It’s all a far cry from United’s disastrous 4-0 defeat by Brentford in their second leg. The last three points lifted United to fifth in the Premier League, three points off the top Sunday’s performance was the best yet under the Ten Hag, a counter-attacking display of United’s best delivery combined with a new defensive resilience that seems to have come out of nowhere. The four straight wins have instilled confidence in a team that looks solid, understands what its manager is asking of it and is starting to show signs of identity. We take a closer look here at how the Ten Hag managed to successfully turn around United’s token opening to the campaign. MARTINEZ AND VARANE IS SOLID AS A ROCK When Ben Mee completely dominated Lisandro Martinez to head home Bradford’s third goal that fateful afternoon, many questioned whether the £55m arrival could cope with English football. Much was made of his height – just 5ft 9in – and how he looked destined to be bullied by every Premier League striker. But Ten Haag’s decision to stick Martinez on for Raphael Varane at half-time that afternoon did not prove fatal to the Argentine’s chances of keeping his place in the starting line-up. Instead, Ten Haag made the big call to drop captain Harry Maguire for the Liverpool game and team up with Martinez and Varane. It could prove to be the defining moment in United’s season. Diogo Dalot and Lisandro Martinez chest-tapped as Raphael Varane eyes Leicester With Maguire watching from the bench, they have forged a solid and reliable partnership. Martinez has proven his worth with enough tenacity and enough air gaps to overcome those early swings. Varane shows the ability to place and win the ball that won him the World Cup with France and four Champions League titles with Real Madrid. He only showed flashes last season, but is a more consistent performer now. Having conceded six goals in their first two games against Brighton and Brentford, there was an urgent need to fix United’s defense and get the whole team on a solid footing. Martinez hits Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus during Sunday’s win at Old Trafford
United’s season so far
August 7 Brighton (H) 1-2 13 August Brentford (A) 0-4 August 22 Liverpool (H) 2-1 August 27 Southampton (A) 1-0 September 1 Leicester City (A) 1-0 September 4 Arsenal (H) 3-1 Ten Hag seems to have found the right central defensive combination and two of those four wins since the defeat at Brentford have come with very welcome clean sheets. Even more rewarding is how much it means to these United defenders to make a crucial tackle or block a goal-bound shot – we’ve seen chest-beating and plenty of back-slapping from the likes of Martinez, Varane, Diogo Dalot and others. RUSHFORD AND SANCHO HAVE CONFIDENCE RESTORED Sunday’s win over Arsenal was arguably United’s best display of counter-attacking football since they thrashed RB Leipzig 5-0 in November 2020, just as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looked to be bringing them back to their best. The common thread between the two games is Marcus Rashford – he scored a superb treble that night and scored twice against Arsenal, twice rounding off quick breaks that cut through the Arsenal defence. While Mikel Arteta played into United’s hands by making attacking changes that pushed their defensive line ever further forward and disrupted their momentum, the return of classic United counter-attacks delighted the fans. Last season, Rashford may well have missed a one-on-one against Aaron Ramsdale that restored United’s lead at a time when Arsenal were well on the up. Marcus Rashford, who scored twice on Sunday, looks back at his electric best After his Euro 2020 final penalty miss, toxic social media fallout and shoulder surgery, Rashford has looked a shadow of his former self in United’s attack, scoring just four goals all season. He now has just one goal to match in six games this season and has clearly seen his confidence restored by Ten Haag. With a World Cup looming, he may well be forced back into the England squad. It helps that there is now some certainty about Rashford’s role. With Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench, Rashford is once again leading the line, having been ruled out by previous United managers. Confidence is also flooding into Jadon Sancho’s game after a rather lackluster first season at Old Trafford. Jadon Sancho turns the keeper to score United’s winner at Leicester on Thursday night He scored the winner at Leicester on Thursday night, bearing down on keeper Danny Ward and slotting home with a fluid move after Rashford slipped him. This was already his second game – he opened the scoring in the win over Liverpool with a calm finish – and that confidence to run at opposition defenders and make perfectly timed darts is clearly back in his game. It is to the Ten Hag’s credit that after the defeat at Brentford, he seems to have lifted a weight off the shoulders of the strikers who have looked burdened for far too long. ERIKSEN LOOKS INSPIRED There was always the risk that the signing of Christian Eriksen this summer would be overshadowed by the £85.5m spent on Antony and the £70m spent on Casemiro. Not a bit of it. The Dane has been excellent in the reds of United so far, fitting perfectly in the center of midfield and serving as the ideal link between defense and attack. As Martin Tyler observed on Sky Sports commentary on Sunday afternoon, not even Arsenal fans could begrudge Eriksen his excellent performance against them. Christian Eriksen was outstanding as United beat Arsenal and is proving to be a great signing Eriksen played a hand in all three goals with his quick thinking to bypass Arsenal’s midfield and make United move for Anthony’s first goal a special point. Covering acres of ground, Eriksen willingly got into the defensive work before squareing up to Rashford for the game-killing third. He looks comfortable with Scott McTominay next to him and you’d expect the same if Casemiro or Fred were in there. He quickly achieved a great understanding with Bruno Fernandes in front of him. It was thought that the 30-year-old, given what happened with his cardiac arrest at last year’s Euros, would be a player that Ten Haag would use mainly off the bench. Beyond that awkward afternoon at Brentford, Eriksen has said he is worth much more to United and their manager and you certainly wouldn’t write him off right now. Casemiro cost United £70m but may have his work cut out for him in midfield MCTOMINAY COULD WELL COMPETE WITH CASEMIRO During the Alex Ferguson years, games against Arsenal were often highlights of the season and where stalwarts such as Phil Neville, Darren Fletcher and Park Ji-Sung took the credit. McTominay continued that tradition perfectly on Sunday as the midfielder gave Arsenal’s forwards not a moment’s rest and helped Martinez and Varane to go wide on the ground and in the air. Ten Hag has realized the Scot’s height is an asset and good cover for Martinez as the Argentine settles right into English football. McTominay, who many expected to leave the club when Casemiro arrived, has made the best possible case to stay there and his tireless efforts are always appreciated by United fans. Arsenal have been in free form so far this season and United needed a midfield disruptor like McTominay to beat them, even if it took a regular foul. Scott McTominay tormented Arsenal’s side all afternoon in a tenacious display in midfield One statistic stood out as illustrating how United’s confidence has been restored since that opening day defeat at Brighton. McTominay completed only two-thirds of his passes that afternoon. Against Arsenal, his pass completion was 100 per cent. All this gives Ten Haag a dilemma. He now has McTominay, Casemiro, Fred and Eriksen crammed into two midfield positions, a luxury of choice that few expected when Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic left in the summer. Thank goodness for the start of the UEFA Europa League group stage to make the fixture calendar even more hectic! FERNANDES IS IN UNSAFE SHAPE Too often a huffing and puffing and complaining figure last season, Bruno Fernandes is another figure who has benefited from the arrival of Ten Haag and the bold decisions made by the Dutch manager. Although he scored 10 goals and provided a further 14 assists last season, it was painfully clear that his game was affected by the presence of his Portugal team-mate Ronaldo. With Ronaldo currently starting on the bench, Fernandes has returned to something close to the form he showed when Solskjaer first signed him in January 2020. Fernandes receives a hug from David de Gea after another impressive display on Sunday His work rate against Arsenal was remarkable, as was his willingness to track back and help the defence. Fernandes was also instrumental in the move for Anthony’s opener and provided a superb pass for…
