Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Everton was simply a case of job done.

The Red Devils weren’t anywhere near their best at Old Trafford and required two penalty kicks, converted by Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, to get over the line in a game where they conceded 23 shots on goal.

Despite that, Erik ten Hag insisted in his post-match comments that United “are back”, while he also said that he’s comfortable with his side dropping back into a low block if it means “defending low quality chances”.

United won’t dwell on the result for too long, with an important three points in the race for a top-four finish all that really mattered, and there were definitely positives to take from the performance. Alejandro Garnacho’s lively performance on the wing resulted in the Argentine winning both penalties, Fernandes did well to cover the absent Rasmus Hojlund up front, and Jonny Evans defied time itself to put in a solid showing in central defence.

Victory closes the gap to Aston Villa in fourth place to just five points – though Unai Emery’s side can open that margin up again if they beat fellow Champions League hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park on Sunday – and gets United back on track with a fifth win in their last seven Premier League games.

That run of 15 points from a possible 21, with ten games of the season now remaining, is actually a far superior run to what United strung together at the same point last season.

United had won just 11 points from a possible 21 heading into the final ten games of 2022/23 – a run that included the humiliating 7-0 demolition at the hands of rivals Liverpool. They also slipped up against Newcastle United and relegated Southampton but did see off two other sides who were unable to beat the drop; Leicester City and Leeds United.

Furthermore, Ten Hag’s side also look to have found their scoring boots compared to this time last year though the mitigating circumstance could arguably be that the calendar was completely skewed by the World Cup being staged in November and December of 2022.

United found the back of the net just eight times in a seven-game stretch in 2023 – failing to score on three occasions – whereas they’ve scored 15 times in their 2024 run. Hojlund is the feel-good factor in that regard, scoring seven times before picking up an injury, and the Dane should soon be back to fitness ahead of the run-in.

One concern for United, regardless of Ten Hag’s comments, is the number of shots raining down on Andre Onana’s goal. The Cameroonian has now had 467 shots flying towards him during 2023/24, at an alarming average of 16.6 shots per match. Only Sheffield United (469) had given up more efforts on goal prior to their Premier League clash with Bournemouth on Saturday.