Manchester United supporters watched their side move into the top four with a 4-2 win over Brighton on Sunday morning. The Reds leapfrogged their rivals in the table after defeat by Liverpool the night before, just a week after winning on home soil.
Under manager Ruben Amorim, United have won three consecutive league games for the first time since February 2024, when they won four in a row. Upcoming away games against Nottingham Forest and Tottenham will give the United side another chance to prove themselves in Europe. Amorim is keen to maintain its recent momentum.
The team’s resurgence can be partly attributed to the improved midfield performances of Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro. Although doubts remain as to whether the attacking-minded Fernandes and the aging Casemiro are viable as a midfield pairing, Amorim’s subtle tactical adjustments have helped strengthen the central area.
United introduced Luke Shaw from left centre-back to the midfield line, condensing play and providing further coverage of the midfield axis. Additionally, in Matheus Cunha, Mason Mount and Brian Mbeumo, Amorim has a trio willing to track back and fill in the gaps, once again providing Casemiro and Fernandes with an extra layer of protection.
It also gives the captain the freedom to step forward and influence the game in the final third, while the likes of Cunha and Mount have the discipline to step back and fill the void left by Fernandes.
Last season, United deployed wide players such as Alejandro Garnacho, Anthony and Marcus Rashford, but they often failed to track back or provide assists in defence, but this season the Red Devils have changed their attacking structure and it is paying off.
His hard work was highlighted by former United midfielder Michael Carrick, who provided analysis on Match of the Day.
“You can’t expect two midfielders to deal with three or four players against a good team. So how do you find a solution?” he said.
“They have their forwards in place to support Bruno and Casemiro and they found support in Luke Shaw to jump in and stay there and almost make threes in midfield.
“At the end of the day, it’s a game of numbers and a game of space and you have to fill the right spaces. Bruno, Luke Shaw and Casemiro fill the center of the pitch.
“I feel that something is building. Casemiro holds the center of the pitch, Cunha drifts a little bit, Bruno has the license to drift a little higher, Mbuemo can drift away from Sesco and there is that little bit of fluidity.”
