Leeds have helped Manchester United unlock a key weapon that can boost hopes of a top four finish

Harry Maguire was blunt in his assessment of Manchester United’s lack of goals from corners this season, admitting he was "embarrassed" by their lack of set-piece goals in the wake of Sunday’s 4-2 victory away at Leeds United.

"I'm a big part of that set-play routine but as a team we've been nowhere near good enough. If we scored more from set-pieces we'd be higher up the table."

United broke the deadlock on Sunday afternoon with a clever routine freeing up Maguire to head home Luke Shaw’s cross.

Prior to their weekend victory, United were the only side in the division yet to have scored from a corner this season.

Few would have expected such a poor return from United given the appointment of set-piece coach Eric Ramsay.

Although their lack of goals is a poor reflection on him and United as a whole, there is evidence to suggest that their opener on Sunday could have the potential to be a watershed moment in the season.

While United are trailing their rivals in this department, they’ve still been more dangerous than their goal return suggests.

They’ve so far averaged the seventh-highest number of corners per game (5.42) across the Premier League and are attempting an average of 1.85 shots per game from said set-pieces.

Their efforts from corners have generated an xG (expected goals) total of 3.02.

What this means is that, based on the chances they’ve created from dead-ball situations, United would have been expected to score closer to three goals this season, rather than just one.

A mixture of poor finishing and maybe elements of bad luck could explain why they’ve not been able to score more from these situations, yet the above at least paints a picture that United haven’t been as bad as some think.

This means there’s