Man Utd are struggling to win Everton from behind but they won’t always get off to a slow start in the all-important October

For the second game in a row, Manchester United came from behind and clinched a narrow win.

Erik ten Hag’s side lost to Cypriot minnow Omonia Nicosia by one goal but won 3-2 before the Toffees were beaten 2-1 at home today.

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Antony scored a third Premier League game in the spin while Cristiano Ronaldo scored the club’s 700th goal of an incredible career.

The general relief at full-time was evident as United were desperate in the closing stages to deny Everton a dramatic equalizer.

And while the never-tell-die mentality is desirable and will please Ten Hag, her slow starts could come back to bite her.

The Dutchman said during the week that a winning mentality is something that “will take months” to instill.

That mentality has shown in the last two games, but if Ten Hag has admitted it will take time for them to settle in permanently, slower starts this month could cost them.

Victory over Frank Lampard’s Toffees puts the Red Devils in fifth place in the table.

But this is the start of what a few weeks could be for Ten Hag and company.

There are tough clashes in the Premier League against Newcastle, Tottenham, Chelsea and West Ham that need to be negotiated before October turns into November.

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There are also two Europa League draws against Omonia Nicosia and Sheriff.

While Lampard has improved Everton this season, the likes of Newcastle, Spurs and Chelsea are more likely to punish the Red Devils if they don’t start cooking.

Both Spurs and Chelsea are just ahead of United in the league and a pointless exit from those games would mean a lot of work for Ten Hag’s side to close the gap in the top four.

Manchester City have already shown what can happen to United when Ten Hag’s side concede first against a truly quality opponent.

So there’s cause for cautious optimism, but there’s also a sense that something needs to be done about these slow starts before the month ends.

Or similar 6-3 pastings like last week’s Etihad could be on the cards.

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