United 0 Burnley 0

After the horrors of Stamford Bridge and the heroism of the city game, United's supporters were forced to spend a frustrating afternoon as Burnley fought a disciplined rearguard action to walk away from Old Trafford with a point for the first time in the Premiership.

It wasn't difficult to predict the approach of the visitors.  Burnley would come to defend deep and attempt to frustrate and that was indeed very much the pattern of the first half.  Although the Reds would rue a couple of Ibrahimovic chances going begging - the first when he had only Heaton to beat - the visitors were well organised and, when it fell to Heaton to make an outstanding save from Lingard towards the end of the first half, the former United reserve keeper was up to the task.

If United had thrown everything but the kitchen sink at Burnley before the interval, after it they included the kitchen sink and added any contents they found lurking there.  A red tide engulfed the Burnley half but, thanks to a combination of excellent defending - another former Red, Michael Keane was outstanding - and some wayward finishing from United, the visitors held firm.

By now Mourinho was watching from the stands, having protested against the referee's failure to give a penalty when Darmian went over in the area just before half-time.  Like the rest of the crowd, he could only watch in disbelief as Mata finally beat Heaton only to see his shot strike the post.  Moments later it was Ibrahimovic's turn again to find himself frustrated as his header hit the bar.

Just as it looked like a goal was only a matter of time, United suffered the huge setback of Herrera's dismissal for a second yellow card.  The Reds were forced to see out the remaining 22 minutes of the game with ten men yet still had by far the best chances.  Ibrahimovic and Blind both went close before the Swede was found by a peach of a cross by Pogba, yet still couldn't get his shot on target.

After that, it was simply a matter of the excruciating countdown to the final whistle.  As with the last home game against Stoke, the Reds threw everything at the visitors but solid defending and a superb goalkeeper meant they lost yet more ground on the leading group.

PL2: Spurs 1 United 1

United will have been hoping for a win away to a Spurs side languishing in unfamiliar territory near the foot of the Premier League 2 table.  As it was, the Reds were forced to work hard to come away with a point in a second half in which better finishing might well have given the home side what would on balance have been a deserved victory.

Spurs showed a lot of endeavour early in the contest, but United managed to contain and it was the Reds who took the lead in the twentieth minute.  Picked out by a wonderful pass from Sean Goss (above) - making a welcome return after his long injury - Joe Riley cut into the area and produced a calm finish to score with United's first chance of the game.

The Londoners came into this game after a run of five successive defeats and it may have been hoped their heads would drop after going behind.  As it was, they were level just after the half hour mark.  Goddard's effort from the edge of the box was parried but the ball fell at the feet of Harrison, whose emphatic shot brought the equaliser.

Spurs' willingness to attack United in the second half belied their low league position and the home side went close to taking the lead when Harrison's shot struck the leg of Poole on its way to goal.  It was the best chance of many during a sustained spell of pressure from Tottenham.

Part of the problem for United was that Goss, who had bossed the midfield before the break, was inevitably tiring following his long period on the sidelines.  He was withdrawn with fifteen minutes remaining and, although United had a fresher look about them in the later stages, it was Spurs who went closest to grabbing a winner when Harrison failed to convert a Walker-Peters cross.

It's another disappointing result for an Under 23 side who are still to win away from home this season and who understandably continue to miss the presence of a genuine forward player within their ranks.  Once again, it was due to strong defending and sound organisation in the face of opposition pressure that the Reds were able to come away with a point.

EFL Cup: United 1 city 0

Following the capitulation at Stamford Bridge, you sensed that manager, team and fans all desperately needed this win and the collective sense of purpose that permeated Old Trafford brought a performance and victory that was more convincing than the scoreline suggests.

This was not a close encounter settled by a single goal.  After sparring with their city rivals for half an hour, United stepped up and produced a commanding second half performance that answered a lot of questions raised by those much- criticised smiles and shirt exchanges at the end of Sunday's game.

Both sides had looked edgy in the early stages but the Reds had begun to probe the city rearguard with more intent and, following the interval, they took the game to city in front of a noisy Stretford End.  With Carrick pulling the strings in midfield and Pogba and Herrera pushing further forward, United's play began to match the passion of the crowd and within ten minutes of the restart they'd scored the goal that proved crucial.

Ibrahimovic had set free Pogba a few minutes earlier only for the Frenchman's shot to be saved by Caballero.  It was a sign that the Swede was beginning to influence proceedings, however, and when he out-muscled his marker to break free on the left, his ball into the area found Mata, who stroked the ball neatly past the keeper.

It was no more than the Reds deserved and, although city had more of the possession as the game went on, they never looked like testing De Gea.  United's makeshift central defensive partnership of Rojo and Blind stood firm and, in Valencia, they possessed a player who combined defensive maturity with a constant attacking threat on the break.

Although the Reds failed to add to their tally, the lack of further goals to cement their dominance was of little concern to the celebrating United fans who hailed not merely victory over local rivals and progression to the quarter-finals of this competition, but an emphatic and much-needed response to that embarrassment at Chelsea.

Premier League 2: United 1 Arsenal 0

United's youngsters have faced some tough games this season against sides with older and more experienced players, but this was a young Arsenal team and the Reds just about edged a deserved victory thanks to an early goal from Ro-Shaun Williams.

It came after only six minutes, Williams stooping at the far post to score with a well-placed header.  Although Arsenal had the bulk of the possession in the first half, this largely consisted of fairly toothless probing of the comfortable United defence and it was the Reds who came closest to scoring the next goal, Olosunde finding himself through on goal in the closing minutes of the half, only for Arsenal keeper Keto to turn his shot wide.  

United took the game to Arsenal in the second half, pushing hard for a second goal but not producing an effort that threatened Keto until the keeper did superbly to keep out Harrop's shot from an angle in the 65th minute.  In what was now becoming a more open game, Hinds drew a save from Johnstone with his side's first shot on target and Poole did well to clear the danger deep in his own area following another dangerous attack from the Gunners.

Arguably United's two best players on the night, Riley and Harrop, linked well in an attack that saw the latter's effort saved but by that point United had seen off the best Arsenal had to offer and were able to see the game out for a well-earned three points.

Chelsea 4 United 0

Mourinho and United were unfairly criticised for alleged defensive tactics at Anfield but here, with a performance that sorely lacked any defensive discipline, the criticism the Reds will receive will be entirely warranted.

Whether United planned to contain or take the game to Chelsea we'll never know because it took only thirty seconds for the home side to score.  Confusion between Blind and Smalling allowed Pedro to sneak in and latch onto what was probably a misplaced pass to give his team the lead. 

Although the Reds offered some threat of their own, particularly through Valencia on the right, defensively they continued to look shaky and it was no surprise when Chelsea extended their lead.  United's inability to deal with a routine corner led to the ball falling to an unmarked Cahill, who stabbed home off Blind on the line.

Although the Reds pressed to get back into the game, they always looked vulnerable to Chelsea's counter-attacks and the midfield looked unable to control the game in the way they had for so much of the draw at Liverpool on Monday night.  Admittedly, Chelsea ought to have been a man down when an appalling challenge from David Luiz on Fellaini somehow resulted only in a yellow card.  However, there was no question that other things that didn't go their way in that first half were to a large degree of United's own making.

United were largely dominant in the early stages of the second half, but Chelsea continued to carry a threat on the break and when Hazard was allowed room in the box to drive his shot beyond De Gea it effectively ended the contest.  Then, when Kante found the same kind of space to drift into the area and score Chelsea's fourth, the scoreline became embarrassing.

The result leaves United some way off the pace in their pursuit of the Premiership's leading teams and the performance that yielded it will continue to raise questions about whether the Reds can be any more optimistic about Champions League qualification this season that they were last year.  As for Mourinho, he'll want to draw a line under this first visit to his former club as quickly as possible.

United 1 Stoke 1

Had it not been for a number of missed chances, a superb performance from Stoke keeper Lee Green and one moment of shambolic defending late in the game, United would surely have strolled to a fourth consecutive win and all the post-match talk would have been about a victory earned the United way and positive feelings to take into the international break.

Despite the disappointment of dropping two points, perhaps we shouldn't dismiss those positives too easily.  After all, many Reds were heard to say last season that, if we failed to win, at least it would be good to do so the United way.  That was certainly what happened here.  United swarmed all over Stoke early on, with Grant keeping out efforts from Lingard and Mata and Pogba spurning two excellent chances in front of goal.

There were enough chances for United to have gone in at half-time four-nil up for the second weekend running.  Perhaps the failure to go ahead explained why the Reds looked a little more sluggish after the break, but they soon got into their stride again and Herrera and Ibrahimovic both struck shots narrowly wide as United pushed for a breakthrough.

It came, as on Thursday, following a substitution.  Martial's introduction saw him take up Rashford's position on the left, with the youngster moving to the right, and it was the former who put United ahead, unleashing an unstoppable shot into the top corner.

It was no more than United deserved and, at that point, it looked as if it might finally open the floodgates.  Sadly, though, from a rare attack, Joe Allen bundled over the line after Walters' shot had deflected off Eric Bailly.  Even then, United might have snatched it, with Grant making another fine save from Ibrahimovic and Pogba hitting the crossbar.

It was a frustrating afternoon for the Reds.  Even so, there are clear signs that Mourinho is settling on a line-up and a way of playing that will surely bring greater rewards in the future.  Frankly, we've often seen United in recent seasons play worse than this and win.