A clear outlier can be found in the 2020/21 term, when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side took an incredible 28 points from away games in which they were behind – but for the most part, there were no fans in stadiums due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so the traditional home advantage was somewhat eroded.
In the four completed seasons since, United trailed in 43 separate away games and ended up with just 16 points from those encounters, tasting victory on three occasions – West Ham, in September 2021; Everton, in October 2022; and a memorable Manchester derby, as 2024 drew to a close.
In an ideal world, we’d be dominating away games from the off, scoring early and managing them to a conclusion. But the Premier League is arguably as competitive as it’s ever been and, to borrow a boxing analogy, it’s inevitable that you’re going to get knocked to the canvas every now and again.
It’s how you react to these blows that’s important and, with six trips left on the schedule – including a potentially pivotal visit to top-four rivals Chelsea in April – Michael Carrick will only hope that tenacity continues, when required.