Two wins, two draws and three defeats from seven matches. Here are the numbers behind United's start to the season, and the goals from the international break.
Manchester United go into October having played seven competitive games. This is a look at how the numbers stack up, using our own results data.
The record
Played 7: won 2, drawn 2, lost 3.
Goals: 14 scored, 11 conceded.
Wins: 5-2 against Ipswich (Premier League) and 4-0 against Sabah FA (Champions League).
Draws: 2-2 at Everton and 1-1 at Fulham.
Defeats: 2-0 at Hull City, 1-0 against Manchester City, and 3-2 against Brighton in the League Cup, which ended United's run in that competition.
Home and away
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 6 |
| Away | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
United have yet to win away from Old Trafford this season, and both of their wins came in home games where they scored at least four goals.
Where that leaves them
In the Premier League, United are 12th on five points from five games (see the full table). In the Champions League they are fourth in the 36-team table with three points from one game.
Positives from the break
The Manchester Evening News reported that Bryan Mbeumo scored for Cameroon and Patrick Dorgu scored for Denmark during the international window, with Dorgu's goal described as a stunning strike from the right wing. Both have faced criticism this season, so the goals gave United some encouragement before Tottenham arrive at Old Trafford (our preview).
The figures above cover all competitions up to and including the Fulham game on 20 September.
Game by game
- 22 Aug: Hull City 2-0 United (Premier League, away). United failed to score.
- 30 Aug: United 5-2 Ipswich (Premier League, home).
- 6 Sep: Everton 2-2 United (Premier League, away).
- 10 Sep: United 4-0 Sabah FA (Champions League, home). The only clean sheet of the season so far.
- 13 Sep: United 0-1 Manchester City (Premier League, home). United failed to score.
- 16 Sep: United 2-3 Brighton (League Cup, home). United were eliminated.
- 20 Sep: Fulham 1-1 United (Premier League, away).
What the numbers say
- Goals: 14 scored (two per game) and 11 conceded (about 1.6 per game).
- Scoring: United have scored in five of the seven games, but two of those games, Ipswich and Sabah FA, produced nine of the 14 goals. In the other five matches United have scored five goals in total.
- Defending: United have conceded in six of seven games, with one clean sheet.
- Home against away: at Old Trafford they have won two and lost two, scoring 11 and conceding six. Away they have drawn two and lost one, scoring three and conceding five.
- Premier League points per game: exactly one, from five points in five games.
Reading between the lines
The record looks even, but the pattern underneath is lumpy: two big wins, two low-scoring defeats and a cup exit. Both big wins came at Old Trafford, where the scoring has been much freer than on the road (11 goals in four home games against three in three away), and two of the three defeats were by a single goal. That suggests United are not far from a better run, though it also shows how thin the margins are. The Fulham game is a good example: the shot count was 29 to 12 in United's favour but the expected-goals figures were level (1.60 against 1.62), which our match report unpacks.
What comes next
The next test is the visit of Tottenham on 10 October (preview), followed by a run of fixtures covered in our October guide. We will update this analysis after the next block of games.