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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag applauds the fans after the Premier League match at Old Trafford, Manchester. Picture date: Thursday May 25, 2023.

We can’t believe these 11 stats from Man Utd’s Champions League return

Mitchell Wilks •

Manchester United confirmed their spot in next season’s Champions League in style with a 4-1 win over Chelsea in the Premier League, in what has been a very successful debut season for Erik ten Hag.

After defeats in his opening two league games, the second being a 4-0 thrashing away to Brentford where United looked all at sea, it became apparent to football fans outside of the United bubble just how much of a job Ten Hag had on his hands to get the club heading back in the right direction.

And following their disastrous 2021-22 season, that’s all United fans were really looking for right now. A trophy, a top four finish and a spot in the FA Cup final later, it’s fair to say they’ve already come a long way since that dreaded day at the Gtech Community Stadium.

There’s been some bumpy moments along the way – the less said about a certain 7-0 defeat in Merseyside, the better – but it’s generally been a very positive season for Ten Hag’s side, who have improved significantly, reached their objectives and simply not been a disaster to watch once again.

With that said, now is a good time to take a look at a number of stats from an intriguing yet overall positive season for the Red Devils.

  • Marcus Rashford is the first Manchester United player to score 30 goals in a single season across all competitions since Robin van Persie did so in the 2012-13 season (30).

 

  • Erik ten Hag became only the fifth United manager to finish in the top four of the top-flight in his first league season in charge after John Bentley (1912-13), Matt Busby (1946-47), Ron Atkinson (1981-82) and Louis van Gaal (2014-15).

 

  • United have reached both the League Cup and FA Cup final in the same season for only the third time in their history, after 1982-83 and 1993-94.

 

  • United became only the second side ever to face four different teams from the same country in a single season in a major European competition (Real Sociedad, Barca, Betis, Sevilla), after Leeds United in the 2000-01 Champions League (Barca, Real Madrid, Deportivo, Valencia).

 

  • Alejandro Garnacho (18y 197d) became the youngest player to assist a goal in a Manchester derby in the Premier League.

 

  • United have now won 22 Premier League games this season and 40 in all competitions, their most in a single campaign since 2010-11 (39).

 

  • United have also lost 8 away matches in the Premier League this season – the club’s most defeats in the competition (tied with 2021-22 and 2015-16).

 

  • Marcus Rashford has scored 10 winning goals in the Premier League this season, the most by a United player since Wayne Rooney in 2009-10 (also 10).

 

  • Casemiro became the first player to receive two red cards in a single Premier League season for United since Nemanja Vidic in 2013-14.

 

  • United were bottom of the Premier League after their first two matches, for the first time since they found themselves there at the beginning of the inaugural 1992-93 Premier League season. It was their worst start to a season in 101 years.

 

  • United have conceded just nine times at Old Trafford in the Premier League all season.

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