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7th January 2021
03:25pm GMT

To dwell too much on their semi-final record misses the point given the context of where United find themselves. Avoid defeat at Burnley next week, and they will go at least a point clear at the top of the Premier League. Solskjaer's United are undeniably more consistent than the one he inherited. Even at this stage of this season, that they are poised to go clear at the top says something about the progress the Norwegian has made in returning them to the force they once were.
While another semi-final defeat matters little compared to the prospect of a first genuine title challenge in years, the nature of this defeat - United’s tendency to switch off at crucial moments in big games - should come as a warning to anyone who thinks Solskjaer’s side are genuine contenders for the league.
Unlike recent Premier League seasons, no team has stepped forward as the obvious dominant force during this campaign. Though United are a point away from being outright leaders, there are only four points separating them from seventh-place Everton. With such a delicate balance, United’s hopes of making a serious push for the title will likely rest on the games against the other teams bunched towards the top. They are yet to play Liverpool, but have only taken two points from a possible nine against the next three sides - Tottenham, Leicester and City. This, particularly with City threatening to return to their form of old, will need to be improved.
Wednesday night’s loss could be viewed as a reality check for United. Progress has unequivocally been made under Solskjaer, but as he alluded to, there is still plenty of room for improvement before they are regarded as being at the same level of their near neighbours.
To say their team suffers from a mental block when it comes to semi-finals is, as the United manager said, slightly harsh, but learning to eradicate the kind of individual errors they have been prone to in all four semi defeats over these last 12 months will be a crucial factor in deciding if they do have what it takes to go the distance in the league.
Should they manage to, a few semi-final defeats won't matter quite so much.Explore more on these topics: