After an inconsistent start to the season, Manchester United have hit a rich vein of form under Jose Mourinho. The Red Devils are on a nine-game winning run, the longest such run of Mourinho’s managerial career.
United’s unbeaten streak stretches back 15 games, which is the longest they have gone without losing in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. They last lost on November 3, 2-1 away to Fenerbahce in the Europa League.
As the winning and unbeaten streaks face their sternest test yet, with bitter rivals Liverpool next up at Old Trafford on Sunday, we look back at three recent unbeaten runs for the Red Devils.
1) 18 GAMES (December 2012 – March 2013)
Manchester United’s current unbeaten streak is the longest since this run back in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season. After a youthful team lost to Romanian side CFR Cluj in the Champions League on December 5 (with top spot in the group already secure), United embarked on a run that would end only after a heartbreaking loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16.
The run began with a dramatic derby win, as Manchester United saw a 2-0 lead evaporate at the Etihad Stadium before Robin van Persie stunned Manchester City with an injury-time free-kick winner. United were imperious during this 18-game run, which saw them pull away from the chasing pack in the Premier League en route to a 20th league title.
The closest they came to losing was on Boxing Day, in a wild 4-3 win over Newcastle United, in which they trailed three times before Chicharito scored a 90th-minute winner.
2) 12 GAMES (October – December 2013)
Believe it or not, before the current run, United’s longest unbeaten streak of the post-Ferguson era was under David Moyes. The Red Devils had slipped to 12th in the Premier League by the end of September, following a shock home loss to West Brom.
But a 1-1 draw away to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League kicked off a 12-game unbeaten run which saw them clinch a spot in the Champions League last-16 and rise up to as high as fifth in the Premier League. The highlight was a 5-0 win away against Bayer Leverkusen.
The last two games in the sequence, however, were two Premier League draws that saw United lose ground to the leaders. When the run ended with a 1-0 home loss to Moyes’ old team, Everton, United were back down to ninth in the league.
3) 11 GAMES (November 2013 – January 2014)
Manchester United got off to a stuttering start under Louis van Gaal, and when they lost to Manchester City in their first game of November, they were ninth in the Premier League. However, they bounced back to pull off a run of 11 games without a loss, which included an away win over Arsenal and a thumping 3-0 home win over Liverpool.
The victory against Arsenal was Van Gaal’s first away win as United manager, and saw the Red Devils move into the top four in the league, where they would stay for the rest of the season. United’s winning run ended with a 1-0 home loss to Southampton in January.
