Manchester United have won three Premier League games in a row having beaten Brighton 4-2 on Saturday
Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes have found their form together in midfield
Manchester United fans will have woken up on Sunday morning and seen their team in the top four.
The Reds beat Brighton 4-2 on Saturday and, with Liverpool losing in the late game, jumped ahead of their rivals in the table a week after beating them on their own patch.
Ruben Amorim’s side have now won three straight league games for the first time under his tenure and for the first time since a four-game winning streak in February 2024.
Back to back away games at Nottingham Forest and Tottenham offer further opportunity for this United side to prove they have the credentials to challenge for Europe this season and Amorim will be hoping to maintain the recent momentum.
The recent resurgence has come in part thanks to an improved midfield showing from Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro. Question marks still exist over the viablity of an attack-minded Fernandes and an ageing Casemiro as a midfield pair but Amorim’s subtle tactical changes have helped solidfy the central areas.
United are utilising Luke Shaw from left centre back to step into the midfield line and condense the play while also offering an added body in there to protect the midfield axis.
And, in Mathues Cunha, Mason Mount and Bryan Mbeumo, Amorim has a trio of players who are prepared to track back and fill in, again offering an added layer of protection to Casemiro and Fernandes.
It also offers the skipper a bit more licence to roam forward and impact play in the final third with the likes of Cunha and Mount having the discispline to drop in and cover the space left by Fernandes.
Whereas last season United had wide players in Alejandro Garnacho, Anthony and Marcus Rashford – who were often guilty of not retreating back to help the team out defensively – this term the Reds have shifted the make-up of their frontline and it’s paying off.
The graft and was picked up by ex United midfielder Michael Carrick, who was analysing the game for Match of the Day.
“You can’t expect two midfielders against a good team to deal with three or four players so how do you find a solution?” he said.
“They have the forwards dropping in to support Bruno and Casemiro, and they have found support with Luke Shaw jumping in and statying in there to almost make a three in midfield.
“In the end it is a numbers game and a spaces game and you have to fill the right spaces. Bruno, Luke Shaw and Casemiro fill that middle of the pitch.
He added: “I feel there is something building, Casemiro holds the middle of the pitch, Cunha drifts a bit, Bruno has licence to drift a bit higher and Mbuemo can drift off Sesko and there is that bit of fluidity.”