Manchester United have become the Premier League’s sole unbeaten side since Boxing Day, extending a league run to 11 matches under interim manager Michael Carrick.
The immediate consequence is clear, United have momentum, and that run has transformed a season that began with instability into one defined by resilience.
On Sunday they ground out a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, a result that forms part of a broader surge since Carrick took charge in January.
Carrick’s tenure has produced six wins from seven matches. That sequence sits alongside earlier turbulence, including Ruben Amorim’s final fixtures which yielded 1-1 draws with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leeds United, and Darren Fletcher’s lone Premier League match which ended 2-2 with Burnley. United did, however, lose an FA Cup tie to Brighton & Hove Albion under Fletcher.
The last league defeat came at Villa Park, a 2-1 reverse to Aston Villa, and United have not lost in the league since beating Newcastle 1-0 on Boxing Day.
Over the post-Boxing Day stretch United have collected 25 points, beating a list of notable opponents under Carrick that includes Manchester City, Arsenal, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Crystal Palace.
The run places United back on a forward trajectory, though historical perspective tempers the celebration. The 2003-04 Arsenal side recorded 49 matches unbeaten, and United themselves logged a 29-match streak under Sir Alex Ferguson between the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons, a feat repeated in 2010-11.
United also hold the Premier League record for consecutive away games without a loss, 29 between 2020 and 2021. The immediate test is maintaining this form, as the club still has ground to make up if it intends to close the gap at the top of the table.
