Watching the first two matchdays of Champions League games this season, it’s understandable for Manchester United to have emotions of FOMO – fear of missing out. After all, the club was one game away from being part of this year’s competition. But the feeling that accompanied the dismal end to 2024/25 didn’t just disappear over the summer.

It’s a sequence that is nearly identical to how the club went through 2014. Optimism ahead of the first full season of a new manager, and a summer tour in the US that added to the feeling that things could turn around, only for the Premier League to begin poorly. Add to that the humiliation of an early League Cup exit, and fans can be forgiven for already saying 2025/26 is a lost season.

But is it lost already?

I started the first paragraphs of this post in late September, in between the home win over Chelsea and the loss at Brentford. Since then, United won at home 2-0 over Sunderland to move to 10 points after 7 Premier League games; last year it took eight matches to reach double figures in points, and the club parted ways with Erik Ten Hag after a loss the very next week. If Ruben Amorim wants to make it to the 365-day mark of his tenure, and beyond that, United need to start winning more PL matches. And with only the FA Cup to look ahead to in January, there will be no excuse to overlook any of those league fixtures.

A defining characteristic of the club’s recent matches has been the emphasis on scoring the first goal. Against Chelsea, United raced out to a 2-0 lead, and were able to hold on for a critical win. In the Sunderland match, Mason Mount’s goal inside eight minutes set the tone for what can be regarded a standard 2-0 win, the type of result that’s been rare in the post-Ferguson era. On the flip side, United was down 2-0 at Brentford in 20 minutes, and though Benjamin Sesko did pull a goal back, they were unable to manage coming back all the way.

The last time Manchester United came from behind to win a match in May, the Europa League semifinal second leg at home to Athletic Bilbao. The last time they did so in the league, however, was in February to an Ipswich team that would ultimately be relegated. Yes, the first goal is important, but if United are to seriously challenge for a European spot, one part of that will be recognizing that the opening goal is not an end-all be-all situation.

Players are on international break this weekend, but the first match back will be an intimidating trip to Anfield. Amorim would probably prefer this fixture – or any league match – before a break to continue the momentum from Sunderland, but here will come another test of United’s current mettle. They dug deep to salvage a draw at Liverpool a year ago; if they can do so again or go one better, it would go a long way toward proving United can finally put forward results on a regular basis.