When the final siren blew, Manchester United’s 4-2 victory against League Two Newport County in the FA Cup’s fourth round appeared to be a fairly standard result for the Premier League team. However, there were moments during Sunday’s game when things weren’t going as planned for United, who were once again on the verge of collapse before things turned around.

Unsurprisingly, United controlled from the off and took a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Kobbie Mainoo and Bruno Fernandes in the fifteenth minute. The visitors had the majority of the possession in the game, and they did well to keep Newport to only 124 passes and a passing accuracy of just 56.4%. Though he managed to establish a comfortable position, the match got too nervous for around thirty minutes.

Before the half, Newport’s Bryn Morris scored a spectacular goal to make the score 2-1. In the 47th minute, teammate Will Evans completed the comeback. United tried various methods to welcome the League Two team into the game, but the hosts overperformed to build up the margin and ended the game with only one predicted goal. With just five less shots than United and seven more on target than the opponents, Newport made the most of their limited possession of the ball.

To their credit, United had a greater quality of shot and had 2.01 predicted goals at the end of the game. They also struck it lucky since this season has seen them consistently recover the upper hand thanks to their strikers, Rasmus Hojlund and Antony, who are notoriously erratic. They have allowed 52 goals in all competitions this season, although they have often saved face by scoring just enough goals to gain points.

But even that tactic hasn’t worked every time. Though there aren’t many matches that compare to United’s encounter against Newport on Sunday, where they were overwhelming favorites over lower-division opponents, their FA Cup third-round matchup with Wigan Athletic of League One is as close as it gets. United underperformed against Newport if their 3-0 victory against Wigan is any indication. Out of 33 shots, 14 were on target and 4.03 were predicted goals.

With United’s defense being their one constant this season, their attacking output is particularly erratic. They have given up two goals or more in 16 of the 31 games they have played in all competitions thus far. It consistently guarantees that game management is an uphill bаttle for the оffensive, and even though Sunday’s performance against Newport was debatably fluky, it seemed like old territory.

The fact that United cause themselves needless trouble halfway through the season is a damning indictment on Erik ten Hag’s second season in charge. Even if they avoided the crisis on Sunday and probably will again, United’s performance has not improved despite months of labor. It appears that they are unable to break out from this holding pattern. Although there’s no reason to rule them out of winning the FA Cup—unpredictability plays a bigger role here than anywhere else, as it is a knockout competition—it simply means that, despite initial indications a year ago, United’s never-ending rebuild feels far from over.