Overcoming Real Betis by a comfortable 5-1 aggregate margin in the round of 16, Manchester United have progressed to the Europa League quarter-finals - meaning they have reached at least the last eight of every knockout competition this season.
Much like against Barcelona in the previous round, when they crucially came from behind in the second half of the second leg, it was a story of United's second half showings being crucially superior. Three second half goals in the first leg saw a 1-1 half-time scoreline overcome, setting up a fairly straightforward second leg.
Erik ten Hag was able to protect a couple of key players as a result - Raphael Varane and Luke Shaw - albeit going strong otherwise, including naming Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes in the starting side despite a risk of suspension.
It wasn't all plain sailing, with the game open and chance for Betis to get back into the tie in the first half. But United, as would appear to have become somewhat of a theme, improved in the second half to dispatch of Betis in ultimately routine fashion after Marcus Rashford's goal.
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Substitutions could be made with United ahead, with Rashford one to be withdrawn shortly after giving his side the lead. A joke was shared with Ten Hag - possibly about the two sitters missed moments before he scored. Beating Rui Silva with a strike from range, which was hit such that the ball's path deviated significantly, Rashford's resilience was exemplified.
United were far more fluent in the second half - something that has been perceived as a trend this season.
But how true is that?
Rashford's goal in Seville was United's 85th of the season, and reinforcing the idea of United being stronger in second halves, they have scored 31 more goals in the second period of matches this season - a split of 27 in first halves and 58 in the second.
Since the World Cup, 35 of their 51 goals scored have been after the interval.
United have fallen behind first 15 times across 45 games so far this season, with nine of those coming prior to the World Cup. They have lost six of these games (out of seven losses this season), evidencing the cost of starting games slowly. Six of these games have been won, which does show the valuable asset of resilience and an ability to grow into matches.
Conversely, they have scored the first goal in 28 games - going on to win 26 of these (drawing and losing once in the other two). Only eight of these game-opening goals have been scored in the second half, which does suggest to an extent that United aren't necessarily primarily a 'second half team'.
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When you look at the time that United have scored their first goal in the 40 matches in which they have scored this season, it shows that their first goal comes, on average, in the 42nd minute. While not in the second half, this does suggest United struggle to put their opposition on the back foot early in games consistently enough.
This does reinforce that United improve as games progress, and this is further typified by the aforementioned split of goals between halves, and the average minute of United's 85 goals this season being the 56th - of course inside the second half.
Why is it the case that they often peak later in games though?
The reality is that this is difficult to answer - likely only those within the club will have a true indication as to the reasons. However, you can speculate as to some reasons.
It sounds simple, but taking time to settle in games is one thing - United do appear to take time to get up to their ample intensity, frequently starting quite slowly. A more tentative side to their game can contribute to this, with less risks being taken early in games in order to limit any possible damage that could be inflicted by the opposition.
In this regard, it can be effective to peak later - as much as it is obviously more ideal to start games well and finish games off early. It indicates some level of pragmatism, which comes in the form of patience, waiting for avenues to open up as opponents are caused to tire.
United have started to look somewhat exhausted themselves recently, hence it does make sense that they play better once their opponents also start struggling with fatigue to an extent.
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There is also the fact that United are not yet fully formed as the rebuild continues under Ten Hag, meaning they remain fragmented as a side in some elements. Therefore, an ability to show grit has to come to the fore - something that takes prominence later in matches.
One of the most likely explanations for second half surges is Ten Hag's ability to manage in-game, making decisions which can shape second halves. This problem-solving ability includes making substitutions, which have often been impactful in tweaking elements of the side have been faltering.
Alejandro Garnacho, for one, has scored important goals after coming off the bench on a number of occasions this season.
This ability to influence games mid-match can give the edge on opponents, mitigating and, up to a point, rectifying elements of a not yet fully-formed team - particularly evident through the lack of a striker and adept progressive, ball-playing midfielder.
Knockout matches have interestingly seen some of the most drastic second half improvements for United, as displayed in both post-group stage Europa League ties so far. FA Cup ties against Reading and West Ham United both saw United win courtesy of second half scoring sprees, for instance.
There have also been cases of this in the Premier League, though, such as in both matches against Leeds United: the first saw United only find their feet after the break to score twice in the second half to recover a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford, with two goals inside the last 10 minutes of the reverse fixture seeing United take three points away.
However, United will have to learn to win games more comfortably - in a manner akin to the Carabao Cup final, in which they scored twice in the first half before merely having to hold onto that advantage and see the game out. This sort of first half should be the model, with a relatively early first goal shown to be crucial in propelling United on to win.
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United aren't necessarily a team that only perform in second halves, but it is the reality that they do take time to build into games - unlikely to be by design on most occasions.
It is unsustainable to score considerably more goals in the second half, with more tentative first halves likely to be punished at some stage. Given their strength in games when having scored first, it is important that United themselves push to punish teams early on.
Regardless, United are still winning games despite starting slowly at times. And as their rebuild continues over Ten Hag, there is no doubt that their performance level should become better distributed across 90-minute periods.
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