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United end on a high away from home - it hasn't always been that way this season...

That dreaded, luminous green kit. It brings one thing, and one thing only, to the minds of Manchester United fans. That fateful day in West London...


The infamous alternative strip debuted as United lost 4-0 against Brentford to kick off their away campaign in August, and while they wore it twice in 1-0 victories in the intervening period, negative connotations were set deep in the minds of United fans as it was announced they would play their final away game of the season, against Bournemouth, in those colours.


The loss to Brentford was so lamentable that Erik ten Hag felt the need to punish his players with long-distance running in the aftermath - a game that turned out to be the first of a few humiliations on the road throughout the campaign.


Wearing that dreaded kit for one final time on the South Coast, it was at least a chance for United to put it to rest on a high note.


Credit: Ash Donelon via Getty Images


The defeat in the first away trip of the season set a precedent for another poor season on the road for United. Eight defeats away from Old Trafford equalled their joint-worst Premier League tally - the same total as the rightly-perceived horror show last season.


This could be interpreted as Ten Hag not doing an adequate enough job in addressing these issues, but a recurrence is more of a reflection on the players given many of the same personnel remain. It starkly outlines the need to add more profiles to the squad aligned with Ten Hag's footballing desires.


United's final away fixture of the season came with two home games remaining, and it saw them reach the 27-point mark, which drew them to 15 points shy of their home tally - a mark that could extend to 21 points by the campaign's conclusion.


It is no secret that United's away form hasn't always been something to behold this season. They are fifth in the away league table, but they are 12 points shy of Arsenal, who have played all 19 away games, and 10 points from Manchester City, who have one more game to come on the road.


United's goal difference adds to their general tales of woe on their travels, with only 22 goals scored and 33 conceded across 19 away matches in the league, giving a negative goal difference of 11 - the worst in the Premier League's top 12. This isn't glossed over by the fact only Tottenham Hotspur have conceded more goals out of sides in the top 10.


There is a significant disparity between this and their home form, with no league defeats since their opening game of the season, and one further loss at home to Real Sociedad courtesy of a dubious penalty decision. Their goal difference reflects this home form, too, with 30 goals scored and only eight goals conceded with two games remaining.


Credit: Ash Donelon via Getty Images


No doubt, certain disastrous performances have skewed the disparity, with proof, especially at home, that Ten Hag's side are perfectly competent and on an excellent trajectory. Four goals being shipped against Brentford was the first case of this, with six against City and three against Aston Villa also preceding the World Cup in fairly feeble away displays.


Things didn't get that much better against the league's leading sides once club football returned, either. Seven goals were conceded against Liverpool and a further two in a similarly inferior display against Newcastle United; three concessions against Arsenal were part of a better display, but nonetheless meant 25 of the 33 goals conceded away from home came in six losses.


More recent defeats contributed to a lesser extent, with 1-0 losses to both West Ham United and Brighton. Two goals conceded against Spurs saw a 2-0 lead inexplicably squandered.


Incidentally, Tottenham were the only team inside the Premier League top nine that United managed to pick up points against away from home. If they are to mount any sort of title challenge, as Luke Shaw has hinted is the aim next season, this sort of brittleness against top sides on the road cannot remain.


These struggles similarly shone through in the Europa League, when United were emphatically beaten 3-0 against Sevilla in front of a hostile crowd. It was evidence that there may have been some fortune in the amount of home draws United got in domestic cup competitions.


One strange thing with United's susceptibility to be outplayed is that they have shown they can be defensively sound. The 1-0 win over Bournemouth last weekend secured David de Gea the Premier League Golden Glove award outright, which is evidence of their Jekyll and Hyde nature (something that was often mentioned last term), especially on their travels.


It felt fitting that United closed out their away campaign with a 1-0 win, with the same result achieved four times away from home in the league, and six in total. It followed a similar trend to some of the better results on the road, with an inability to kill games off, but an ability to fend off lesser opposition.


Credit: Ash Donelon via Getty Images


Facing Bournemouth was always likely to be a kind last outing for United's away contingent, with Gary O'Neill having steered the Cherries from a tough start to the season to safety - largely against the odds. With their Premier League status confirmed, it was a case of United's opponents being 'on the beach' to some degree.


Ten Hag's men took an early lead through unusual means, with Casemiro showing improvisation to convert with an overhead kick following a forward burst that saw him get on the end of a dinked pass from Christian Eriksen.


From there, United were fairly commanding defensively whenever Bournemouth threatened, albeit with De Gea having to play his part towards the closing stages to confirm that he would win the Golden Glove without having to share the accolade.


The back-line was potentially that which may start the FA Cup final against City at the start of June, with Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof having struck a good balance in the continued absence of Lisandro Martinez, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw staking valid claims to possess the full-back roles.


Overall, there was some sloppiness as much as there were some smoother exchanges at times. But United did feel in control of the affair, even if they will have to improve further ahead of their third trip to Wembley this season given it was more of a comfortable performance than one that was particularly convincing.


There was no massive quality in the game, but United did enough to get over the line - something that has often been a theme this season. This has sufficed for most of this term, although it is clear that reinforcements are necessary due to the unsustainable nature of some performances, and inconsistency in away games, looking ahead to the future.


Credit: Michael Steele via Getty Images


It is hard to decipher the roots of United's struggles on the road. It possibly points towards an aspect of their mentality that still needs to improve, with a possible struggle under pressure at times. Flaws sometimes seem to be exacerbated away from home.


That said, maybe it could build some more positive momentum that they have ended this season's away campaign on a higher note. Ten Hag will certainly hope it is a sign to come.


With Liverpool drawing, it has put United right on the brink of Champions League qualification.


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