Manchester United’s revival: Real momentum or false alarm? | OneFootball

Here we go again… Is it time for Manchester United fans to dust off the party poppers, or are we staring down yet another false dawn?

Let’s rewind. After months of patchy performances, United pulled off a 2-1 win at Anfield last weekend. It was their first victory at the home of their arch-rivals in nine years. Even sweeter, it made it back-to-back Premier League wins under manager Ruben Amorim for the very first time.

“It is not just three points to the club and to the boys,” said United defender Harry Maguire, who headed the match-winning goal at Liverpool.

Cue cautious optimism… or a collective eyebrow raise?

Why the skepticism?

Because, frankly, we’ve witnessed so-called ‘turning points’ before, only to see them undone in the very next match. Every Premier League win seemed to come with an asterisk: “Warning—may be followed by crushing defeat.” But this time feels different.

However, the fact that consecutive wins is even being discussed as some sort of milestone shows just how far the 13-times Premier League champions have fallen. 

Maguire put it bluntly on BBC Match of the Day: “It’s embarrassing, really… we shouldn’t even be talking about this stat.” Ouch. Yet that shame might just have lit a fire under the squad and it feels like Amorim has impetus for the first time since arriving at Old Trafford in November last year.

A quick recap of the good stuff:

So yes, Amorim’s sitting on a mini-wave of momentum. But lose to Brighton on Saturday – a Brighton team that’s handed United three consecutive defeats at Old Trafford – and the headlines will be edging towards ‘Crisis!’ one again. Win, though, and you’ve got the makings of a real ‘corner turned’ narrative.

Manchester United have won four, drawn one and lost three of the Premier League matches this season. Image: Sofascore

What’s clicked tactically?

Amorim temporarily abandoned his favoured 5-2-2-1 formation, which features two central midfielders and two No.10s behind the striker. Against Liverpool the tactic morphed into a 5-4-1 that looked both solid and surprisingly dynamic.

The wing-backs tucked in, the No.10s helped out in midfield, and United even skipped the seemingly endless passes across the back five in favour of a more direct ‘get it forward, see what happens’ approach.

Amorim’s been preaching the importance of winning second balls in his press conferences recently. That type of hustle led to Bryan Mbeumo’s opener at Anfield.

Bogey team Brighton

Still, this Saturday’s clash with Brighton & Hove Albion is a real acid test. Back in January 2025, the Seagulls flew into Old Trafford and left 3-1 winners, prompting Amorim to famously describe his side as “maybe the worst” in the club’s long history.

So, are Manchester United back… or is it déjà vu? If they can edge past Brighton, that question might finally have an answer worth celebrating. Until then, let’s keep the champagne on ice and see if this time, the dawn actually breaks.