Manchester United off to worst start in 26 years

Manchester United’s start to the season has gone from bad to worse.

Jose Mourinho was the voice of pessimism coming into the season, complaining his team had not reinforced enough for his liking after a second place finish in 2017-18 which saw them finish 19 points behind their local rivals Manchester City.

No help came at the transfer deadline, but the Red Devils opened their season with three points against Leicester City in a scrappy 2-1 victory.

Yet whatever optimism that may have emerged from that victory has quickly been replaced by concern as United have now been defeated in their next two games.

A surprise 3-2 defeat to Brighton, who are expected to be in the mix for relegation, put United into a precarious position. And Tottenham have now pushed them further toward the brink, hammering the Red Devils 3-0 , at Old Trafford no less.

A second-half opener from Harry Kane and a brace from Lucas Moura put United to the sword, and sent them tumbling down into the bottom half of the table after three games.

The start is the worst Manchester United have suffered since the 1992-93 season, 26 years ago, when the club also lost two of their first three contests.

That season saw the Red Devils lose both of their first two matches of the season, to Sheffield United and Everton, respectively. Things actually did not fare much better in their third game, as a draw to Ipswich Town followed.

That stretch saw United lose their first Premier League home game in the rebranded English top division when they fell to the Toffees, by a similar 0-3 scoreline. The defeat to Spurs on Monday is now the 50th the club has suffered at home in the Premier League. 

But if fans are looking for a silver lining for this year’s side, it’s that the club’s poor start that season was far from fatal. The Red Devils would rebound under Sir Alex Ferguson, going on to win the Premier League by 10 points.

Whether Mourinho can match Ferguson’s magic in pulling the team back from their rough start that season, or if he will even get that chance, is the question on the minds of many.