Manchester United have seven games and 44 days to revive Erik ten Hag's greatest strength

It's hard to believe it now, but there was a time when Erik ten Hag's Manchester United were almost unbeatable at Old Trafford. For almost all of 2022/23, Ten Hag brought the fear factor back to the Theatre of Dreams.

One of the obstacles in United's path back to the very highest level in recent years has been the total disintegration of their record in front of their home supporters. The biggest, most famous club stadium in England has become a place that no longer holds any trepidation for the opposition.

But for a while, it looked like Ten Hag would change that. He lost two of his first four games at home, to Brighton and Real Sociedad, but then didn't lose again at Old Trafford for over a year. Then the wheels fell off.

That first season saw a relentless home schedule for United, who kept landing home cup draws but kept taking advantage of them. The unbeaten run eventually stretched to 31 games before Brighton's win in September 2023.

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In that time, there were 25 wins, 17 clean sheets, and only two matches in which the hosts drew a blank in front of goal. At one point, between October 19, 2022, and February 4, 2023, United won 13 matches in a row at Old Trafford. Home form was the bedrock of Ten Hag's success in that first season.

The signs were worrying even as games 30 and 31 were chalked up at the start of last season, however. A 1-0 win against Wolves on the opening weekend was extremely fortunate, and United rallied from 2-0 down inside four minutes to beat Nottingham Forest.

Brighton finally ransacked the place with that convincing 3-1