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Manchester United have had an absolute roller coaster of a 2020/21 campaign so far, having played some thoroughly entertaining games of football. On several occasions this season, the Red Devils looked down and out of games and appeared to be heading towards a loss. However, that has very rarely been the case.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side have managed to steal victory from the jaws of defeat during the most unlikely situations this season — so much so that conceding a goal and coming back from a losing position has become a recurring theme of their campaign.
Manchester United have won a whopping 95 league games after conceding the first goal in the Premier League, more than any other side in the land. This season, they've racked up 28 points from losing positions — the highest such tally in Europe — and are just six points shy of the all-time record in the league held by Newcastle United (34 points in 2001/02).
While their approach isn't for the faint-hearted, it is most certainly an entertaining one. It highlights their incredible mental and physical resilience and is a reminder of why they're called the comeback kings of the Premier League. On that note, here is a look at five of Manchester United's best comebacks in the 2020/21 season.
#5 Brighton & Hove Albion 2-3 Manchester United
On the back of a nightmare campaign opener against Crystal Palace, Manchester United wanted to get their season up and running at Brighton & Hove Albion. They managed to do so with a win, but it was far from a straightforward one.
Bruno Fernandes conceded a 40th-minute penalty, and Neal Maupay's panenka from the spot gave Brighton the lead, which was then canceled out by an own-goal from Lewis Dunk three minutes later. Marcus Rashford then gave United the lead via a stunning solo goal after latching onto a Fernandes long ball on 55 minutes.
As the game appeared to be swinging United's way, Solly March popped up inside the visitors' box with a clutch goal five minutes into injury time. The game was heading towards a draw when the man who broke the deadlock, Maupay, was found to have handled the ball inside his own box. Despite the final whistle going off, referee Chris Kavanagh resumed play to hand Manchester United a penalty which was coolly converted by Fernandes ten minutes into injury time.
Solskjaer's side were outplayed by Graham Potter's men as the visitors, evidently rusty due to a lack of pre-season, struggled to keep pace with the hosts. Luck was most certainly on United's side as Brighton were denied by the woodwork five times, with Belgian maverick Leandro Trossard registering three of those strikes.
However, Manchester United — who saw two of their goals chalked off by VAR — held their nerve and returned to Old Trafford with all three points after a dramatic comeback. The two sides met once again just under a fortnight ago and the Red Devils staged another comeback to win the game 2-1.
#4 Manchester United 3-2 Liverpool
While a win against a team's bitter rivals always sends supporters into a frenzy, a come-from-behind one feels even sweeter. This was precisely the case when an in-form Manchester United hosted Liverpool at Old Trafford for a fifth-round FA Cup tie, just as week after their stalemate in the league.
Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah gave the visitors the lead in the 18th minute after ghosting past Victor Lindelof and coolly lobbing the ball beyond Dean Henderson. His goal was canceled out just eight minutes later as Marcus Rashford released Mason Greenwood on the counter with a sumptuous 60-yard pass, and the teenager slotted it past Alisson Becker with a composed finish.
Three minutes into the second half, Greenwood then turned creator for Rashford as he set up his teammate for the go-ahead goal. Rhys Williams failed to deal with Greenwood's curling ball in time and Rashford capitalised on the situation to steal it from the rookie and breach Alisson's far post. Salah stepped up once again for the visitors just ten minutes later and leveled the scoreline for the Reds as James Milner found him in the box and the Egyptian stabbed the ball from close range.
Solskjaer raised eyebrows ahead of the game when he opted to rest Bruno Fernandes by picking Donny van de Beek over him. The Portuguese talisman was brought onto the pitch in the 66th minute with the scoreline at 2-2 and the stage was perfectly set for him to make the difference, which he ultimately did.
Fernandes decided the tie with one sublime strike from the edge of the penalty area as he capitalised on a cheap free-kick conceded by Liverpool. His powerful and dipping effort left Alisson with no hope of preventing United's third goal of the night, and the game ended 3-2.
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#3 West Ham United 1-3 Manchester United
Out of all the come-from-behind victories on this list, the game against West Ham was one of the more surprising ones as it was the ultimate game of two halves. Traveling to West Ham between two crucial group stage UCL ties against PSG and RB Leipzig, Solskjaer could ill afford to select a full-strength lineup, choosing to rest the likes of Rashford and Fernandes.
They lived to regret that decision in the first half as West Ham ran riot over the Red Devils and took the lead via Thomas Soucek as he turned the ball in at the near post after Declan Rice set him up from a corner.
Apart from the one goal they did score, David Moyes' Hammers could have been up by two or three more goals as they tore the Red Devils apart in the first half.
Solskjaer then called for the cavalry as he sent on his two star men Rashford and Fernandes for the second half. All of a sudden, they appeared like a different outfit altogether and began to mount a comeback via Paul Pogba. Fernandes drove forward with the ball and found Pogba outside the box, and the Frenchman scored a scorching goal from range with a first-time hit past Lukasz Fabianski.
It was the first of three goals in their 13-minute blitz as Greenwood collected Alex Telles' cross, pulled off an outrageous skill to lob the ball past Angelo Ogbonna, and smashed the ball into the far right corner to give them the lead. United's devastating attack was too difficult for the Hammers to contain.
In the 78th minute, Rashford — who hit the post just minutes ago — latched onto one of the best passes of the season from Juan Mata to burst past the defence and chip Fabianski from distance. It was a sublime counter-attacking goal that added further gloss to a brilliant comeback win for the Red Devils at the London Stadium.
#2 Southampton 2-3 Manchester United
Much like their trip to West Ham, their game at St. Mary's was also a game of two very contrasting halves of football. The main difference, however, was that the Red Devils weren't nearly as poor in the first half against the Saints as they were in London. Rashford and Greenwood played as split strikers on the south coast and fashioned two very good opportunities for themselves in the first 45.
However, it was Southampton who did the damage in a ten-minute spell during the first half. Jan Bednarek rose highest to meet an expertly-delivered corner from James Ward-Prowse to find the back of the net. The English midfielder doubled their lead with a beautiful free-kick from the edge of the area to beat De Gea on his near post despite the Spaniard getting his hand to the strike on 33 minutes.
Solskjaer withdrew Greenwood at the break and sent on Cavani, and the Uruguayan led Manchester United to an inspired second-half display. Cavani bombed down the right flank and delivered a pin-point ball into the box to find Fernandes, whose intelligent touch and finish helped them claw one back on 60 minutes.
The former PSG superstar then popped up with an equaliser with just 15 minutes of regulation time on the clock with a poacher's finish as he headed the ball into the near-post from a deflected Fernandes strike.
As the game entered the final minute of injury time, Cavani came up clutch for his side with a brilliant stooping header.
Rashford found Cavani with a cross, and his angled header took the ball past Alex McCarthy to complete a complete majestic comeback. It was arguably one of the most enthralling wins of the campaign across the Premier League as Solskjaer's side came back to win the game from a 2-0 deficit.
#1 Tottenham Hotspur 1-3 Manchester United
Manchester United's fantastic win against former manager Jose Mourinho's Tottenham Hotspur is the latest addition to their lengthy list of come-from-behind wins, but it is arguably the best of the bunch. The Red Devils had a score to settle with the North London club after their historic 6-1 mauling at Old Trafford, and they did so in emphatic fashion.
Both sides took some time to settle in as it was a cagey 30-odd minutes to start off with. The game then sparked to life as a controversial VAR intervention chalked off a beautiful team goal for the Red Devils. Paul Pogba pulled off a superb through ball to breach Spurs' defence to find Edinson Cavani, whose low finish seemed to have broken the deadlock. However, VAR spotted a foul from Scott McTominay on Son Heung-Min in the build-up, leading to the goal being disallowed.
The decision was heavily criticised by experts and supporters alike, with many former players expressing that it was not a foul. Regardless, the score was back on level terms, but it remained that way for only seven minutes or so before Son capped off a brilliant team move with a measured near-post finish.
Solskjaer's men came out all guns blazing in the second half and played like a side with a point to prove after they were denied a breakthrough. United began to mount the pressure, and it paid off as Fred leveled the score on 57 minutes. The Brazilian finished a slick sequence of play involving Rashford, Fernandes and Cavani as he slotted the ball past an outstretched Lloris.
Mason Greenwood came off the bench for the last 20 minutes and, just a few minutes later, set up Cavani for the winning goal with a lovely curling cross from the edge of the area. The striker met it with a diving header and left Lloris with no chance of saving it.
As they entered the sixth and final minute of injury time, Pogba — who dazzled on the night against his former manager — was at it again as he effortlessly shrugged off Eric Dier and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to set up Greenwood. The teenager smashed the ball into the near post after leaving Sergio Reguilon in his tracks to put the icing on the cake for Manchester United. It was arguably one of the most thrilling halves of football the Red Devils have played this year.
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