Manchester United ended their poor run of form with back-to-back wins over Brentford and Everton.

As a result, they climbed their way back into the top four with a gap between them and fifth-place Spurs starting to emerge. It’s two important results and currently leaves United with their fate in their own hands.

The loss at Newcastle was a low point for Erik Ten Hag’s side and he called for his players to ‘act like robots’ to reach the high standards he and the fans demand. While his team may not be cyborgs, they did produce a great response with a 1-0 win over Brentford and a 2-0 win against Everton.

United are a much different side from the one that lost 4-0 to Brentford at the start of the season and was fairly comfortable in the reverse fixture. Marcus Rashford scored the only goal with a lovely finish as Thomas Frank’s side was surprisingly timid in their approach, standing off for the majority of the first half.

And despite some scares in the second half, United held out for three points.

It was the tougher of the two games as United were much more dominant against Everton. However, there were rumblings of frustration began to grow as United squandered several opportunities in the first half. Antony and Rashford had the bulk of the chances with Jordan Pickford producing some big saves to keep the game goalless.

The deadlock was broken before halftime though. Scott McTominay’s forward run was met with a clever pass from Jadon Sancho and Mctominay – who recently scored four goals for Scotland – smashed the ball past Pickford. His first goal of the season and an important one just before the break.

Everton did very little to threaten after that but United still needed a second to put the game beyond doubt. That eventually came after Rashford pounced on a mistake from Seamus Coleman, squaring the ball to Anthony Martial for an easy finish.

The Frenchman is still far from full fitness and Ten Hag will have to be cautious with how he utilises him from now until the end of the season. Rashford picked up a groin injury late into the game and will need others to contribute with goals in his absence, something that Martial can offer. That’s only if he can stay injury-free himself.

Thankfully Saturday did see the return of Christian Eriksen, coming on off the bench. The Dane had been out since January and has been sorely missed. But he now returns for the final portion of the season, likely to play a big role. And now that Casemiro’s suspension is also over, it’s another boost for Ten Hag.

Bruno Fernandes was poor against Newcastle but was arguably United’s best player against Brentford and Everton. Acting like a quarterback with his long-range passing and slowing things down when necessary. Full credit to him as he’s played in so many different positions for Ten Hag.

The significance of these two wins cannot be understated, especially after three games without a win. More dropped points could have increased pressure on the squad but United are now three points in front of Tottenham with a game in hand. The away fixture against Spurs could be decisive for Champions League qualification.

United returns to Europa League action against Sevilla on Thursday and then a trip to relegation-battling Nottingham Forrest awaits on Sunday. Two more tests for Ten Hag and with Rashford likely to be unavailable, it’s another problem for the manager to find an answer to.  Hopefully, it’s nothing too serious as he’s been crucial this season.

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