Premier League table shows Manchester United must urgently heed Erik ten Hag demand

Manchester United bounced back from Sunday’s 2-0 loss to Newcastle with a worthy, if not comfortable, 1-0 win over Brentford on Wednesday.

At one point this season, the Reds were being tipped as outside title contenders, but now they are in a battle for a top-four spot. Any thoughts of a chase for the league ended with a thud at Anfield in the 7-0 mauling by Liverpool last month.

Erik ten Hag oversaw the club’s heaviest-ever defeat to their arch-rivals and the win over Brentford prevented a new unwanted club record from being broken. United were on the brink of going four Premier League games without a goal for the first time ever, but for 28-goal Marcus Rashford’s winner.

READ MORE: Why Anthony Martial did not start vs Brentford

This was revenge for August’s 4-0 defeat in the reverse fixture but that scoreline is still affecting United today, as do the Liverpool routing and the 6-3 loss to Manchester City in October.

The Reds sit on a goal difference of just five with Newcastle on 26 following their 5-1 thrashing of West Ham on Wednesday. They have the same number of points as United while dishevelled Tottenham sit in fifth, three points behind having played a game more.

Spurs, though, sit on a goal difference of 12 and given their recent tribulations, the fact they are still within a top-four shout is as ominous as it is perplexing. Bear in mind Brighton too, who will overtake Tottenham should they win their games in hand and have a goal gap of +17.

While United have scored just once in the last four league outings, Newcastle have netted 11 in the same period while Spurs have netted seven times and Brighton, eight. United have the second-worst goal difference in the top nine, with only Aston Villa lower on -1.