Heading into the 2022/23 campaign, most Manchester United fans shared the opinion that finishing inside the top four in the Premier League and winning a trophy would be enough render Erik ten Hag's first season in charge a success.
As the new year gets underway, United remain in every cup competition. Domestically, the FA Cup gets underway against Everton on Friday, while a quarter-final against League One side Charlton Athletic is favourable as United look to return to the Carabao Cup semi-finals. In the Europa League, a tough play-off round against Barcelona could decide the favourites.
But cup competitions can be defined by moments or difficult ties. United's progress in the league was always going to be the most representative marker of their improvement under Ten Hag, and the fact they are now fourth - joint with third-place Newcastle United and with a game in hand - reflects well.
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Things haven't quite panned out as many would have predicted in the Premier League so far this term, evidenced by the fact that Arsenal lead Manchester City at the top of the table, and that it is Newcastle with whom United are presently tied for third-place.
Traditional customers for top four places - namely Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Chelsea - have seen their league form deviate significantly.
Since the World Cup, Spurs have drawn 2-2 away to Brentford and suffered a 2-0 defeat at home against Aston Villa, although a 4-0 win against Crystal Palace does show signs of life. Meanwhile, Liverpool lost 3-1 at home to Brentford on Monday, and Chelsea have won only once in seven matches, most recently drawing 1-1 against Nottingham Forest.
As it is, Spurs are two points behind United having played a game extra. Liverpool are sixth and seven points adrift having won below half of their matches in the league. Chelsea find themselves all the way down in 10th, albeit a somewhat unlikely win against second-place City could see them rise to seventh.
Even above United, fortunes of others have varied of late. City themselves are on a run of only one win in three league games having lost to Brentford prior to the World Cup hiatus before drawing against struggling Everton on New Years' Eve.
Newcastle, meanwhile, have dropped points in successive matches after goalless draws against Leeds United and Arsenal, hence United moving level on points. The latter is an impressive result against the league leaders, however, which has even sparked some chatter of a possible title race among United fans on Twitter.
Realistically, a Premier League title remains a stretch, with United still nine points behind Arsenal and very much at the start of a rebuilding process under Ten Hag.
But United's recent consistency is comparable to that of those leading the way, and it is giving them an edge over teams below, who are seeing their form really falter.
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Since the World Cup, United have won all three league matches - something not achieved by their rivals. En-route to these wins, they have scored a respectable seven times while not conceding, looking in control for the most part on each occasion.
Yes, two of these matches have been against sides only promoted ahead of this season, and the other was against a Wolverhampton Wanderers side towards the rear end of the table.
But United are winning winnable matches where their rivals aren't, which hasn't always been the case in recent times with missed opportunities particularly prevalent.
Looking further back, United have only lost once in 10 league matches since their 6-3 defeat at the hands of City winning seven across that run. In all competitions, they have won 13 of their 16 games since that loss at the Etihad.
It is credit to United's consistency that they have found themselves up inside the top four after losing their opening two matches of the season.
Defeat against Aston Villa in November is the only serious blot on their copybook across their run of matches since the derby defeat, but that result continues to look more of a blip than cause for any concern.
United's next league match is the reverse Manchester derby, which you do feel they are in much better stead ahead of given they are actually closing in on City in the league.
It still cannot be expected for United to beat their Manchester rivals, or even other 'big six' sides, which they have impressively done on three occasions this term. But keeping on winning matches they are expected to should see United maintain a place inside the top four given the inconsistency of others.
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United have improved in plenty of departments in order to achieve their recent levels of consistency, with defensive development arguably the most significant part of their increasing ability to gain results on a frequent basis.
They have kept four consecutive clean sheets at Old Trafford in the Premier League for the first time since 2017. And since the World Cup, four clean sheets have been kept in four matches, including three in the league, especially important in the 1-0 win over Wolves.
Structurally, the United defence has been far more assured, which has been the case with a variety of different personnel used since the World Cup due to a range of absentees.
Ten Hag has managed his defenders well, drilling those that have been in action and balancing workload, for example by naming Raphael Varane on the bench against Bournemouth.
David de Gea has still been a crucial part of the eight clean sheets kept across 17 matches in the league this season, which does in part indicate the defence isn't yet bulletproof.
De Gea made four saves against Bournemouth as he continued to prove how invaluable he is as a versatile shot-stopper. He has also started to display a more proactive side to his game, quicker off his line on some occasions.
These clean sheets aren't being achieved through a defensive approach, more so through structure and proactivity without the ball; especially since the World Cup, there has seemed to have been a greater onus placed on counter-pressing and working to quickly win the ball back.
Proactivity has become a pretty general staple of Ten Hag's United side. The football has been front-footed and attacking, putting opponents under pressure to the extent they aren't allowed much of a foothold to attack the game themselves.
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United's first half against Bournemouth on Tuesday wasn't spectacular. They dominated yet failed to create many opportunities.
Ten Hag's side scoring from a well-worked set-piece was what it took for them to take the lead, which further consolidated improvements being made from such scenarios, which is adding an extra dimension to their repertoire - important if creation from open play falters.
Christian Eriksen's arrival has proven a virtue given his ability from set-pieces, and his delivery for United's first goal against Bournemouth was played with perfect pace and a pinpoint trajectory. Casemiro's well-timed run and nonchalant volleyed finish epitomised the all-round impact he has had since joining in the summer as he exploited a poor defensive set-up from Bournemouth.
Many of United's creative struggles were solved into the second half, correlating with Bruno Fernandes being switched to a central role, where he was able to act as a hub of invention. He had started out on the right flank, but a serious-looking injury to Donny van de Beek, who gained a rare start and had looked livelier, at the end of the opening period meant he switched back to his natural No.10 role.
Issues progressing the ball diminished after Fernandes' switch centrally with Alejandro Garnacho introduced out wide, and United's football became far more fluent.
Both Fernandes and Garnacho were involved as United doubled their lead, although it was Luke Shaw - back in his natural left-back role - who orchestrated the move.
Shaw picked the ball up deep, combining with Rashford as he progressed forward with the ball in a controlled manner. After offloading to Fernandes, Shaw continued his run into the box, ultimately getting on the end of Garnacho's cut-back to slot home with a clinical right-footed finish.
And evidence of Ten Hag's forward-thinking approach only continued to shine through. There was clear intent to consolidate their victory, most clearly shown by Marcus Rashford driving down the flanks and looking to beat players on a few occasions.
The third United goal, which sealed a second consecutive 3-0 win at Old Trafford, showed another dimension to United's attacking play.
Shaw delivered an accurate long pass into the penalty area, where Fernandes had engineered himself space to square the ball to Rashford. It was a display of directness and clever movement.
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Things may be going United's way with regards to rivals' results, but it is down to United's developing consistency of performance that they are finding themselves able to benefit from others' mishaps.
Confidence is clearly growing - the second half against Bournemouth was an exhibition of expressive, attacking football. And with this belief comes rhythm, and with that comes consistency that is so valuable over the course of a season.
You can't expect the world yet - these are still early stages. But there is enjoyment when it comes to watching United again, which hasn't often been the case in recent years.
In any case, complacency isn't being allowed to creep in. "I am happy with 3-0, that is obvious and quite clear," Ten Hag said after the Bournemouth win. "But today was not our best game. We didn't play smart as a team and sometimes we were lucky."
Keeping players level-headed is as important as anything. Ten Hag is approaching his first season in the right way, and his players are co-operating with his management.
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