Manchester United have managed to achieve something they have almost never done before, and nobody at Old Trafford is celebrating the club’s alarming defensive record. The club conceded at least two goals in each of its first three Premier League matches of the 2026-27 season, a feat so rare it has happened only once in the previous half-century of English football.
Defensive Vulnerability Lands Manchester United in Uncharted Territory
The sequence began on August 22 with a 2-0 loss at Hull City, a result that raised eyebrows but could reasonably be filed under early-season rustiness. Then came a 5-2 win over Ipswich Town on August 30, which looked like a correction. But the Everton result on September 6 changed the framing entirely, as a 2-2 draw at Goodison meant United had shipped a minimum of two goals in every single match to open the campaign, totaling three games and six goals conceded.
As things stand, United sit 12th in the Premier League table with one win, one draw, and one loss, holding a goal difference of plus one. A team with genuine top-four ambitions does not typically spend the opening month of the season parked in the bottom half of the table. The mid-1970s reference point is relevant context for the boardroom, representing one of the more turbulent periods in the club’s modern history, a time when United were not the dominant force they would later become under Sir Alex Ferguson. The fact that the current squad has now matched a record from that period is the kind of comparison that tends to land badly in the boardroom.
Benjamin Sesko Provides the Physical Spark Carrick’s Attack Needed
While defensive frailties persist, the attack has shown genuine life, and the team is a much more effective unit when Benjamin Sesko starts. This was the first time the Slovenian had done that since the Liverpool game last March, when he finally accepted he could no longer play through the shin issue that had been plaguing him for a number of weeks. It had been hoped Sesko would be fit for the start of the Premier League season, but he was only at the stage where he could be brought on as a substitute in the second half of the opening day trip to Hull, with the same applying to subsequent outings against Ipswich and Everton.
At 6ft 5in, the 23-year-old offers a physical presence United’s other strikers lack. While it has been unfortunate Amad Diallo’s current absence has robbed Carrick of the option to start Bryan Mbeumo at the head of his attack, as he did during pre-season, Matheus Cunha is not without ability. The problem is the Brazilian likes to drift and drop back into space, which leaves a gap at the apex of Manchester United’s attack. Sesko offers a totally different threat by pushing defences back, proving not easy to dispossess, and running at opponents rather than away from them.
Against Sabah FK, he had already threatened with an impudent first half back flick when Bryan Mbeumo sent him running beyond the visitors’ defence. Sesko had clarity of thought, swiftly moving the ball past goalkeeper Stas Pokatilov before steering the ball into an empty net.
Sesko told TNT that he was naturally happy with his goal, adding that seeing the goalkeeper rush out presented a great opportunity to take the ball away from him and make finishing the goal a little bit easier.
Assessing the Wider Squad Context Under Michael Carrick
Manchester United will experience far more stiffer tests of their Champions League credentials than Sabah FK gave them at Old Trafford. In fact, it would be no surprise if the Azerbaijan champions were by some distance the weakest of the eight league stage opponents Michael Carrick’s side will come up against. However, there were some important lessons for Carrick to absorb from the match, notably that good control for a big man is one of football’s oldest cliches, yet the players who can combine size with skill and pace are exceptionally useful.
It is also worth noting what the statistic regarding early defensive struggles does not capture, as United’s attack has shown genuine signs of life. Scoring five goals against Ipswich Town is not the output of a team that has completely lost the plot. The issue is specifically at the back, where opponents have found a way through in all three matches.
The goal difference of plus one is worth watching as a secondary indicator. United are scoring, which means the underlying attacking quality is present. But three games, six goals conceded, and a 12th-place position represent a measurable early-season reality for a club of United’s resources and tradition now charting territory not visited since the 1970s.
