Three things we learnt from Manchester United's 3-1 win over Sunderland

By Rob Meech

Manchester United recorded their fourth consecutive Premier League victory thanks to a comfortable 3-1 success against struggling Sunderland at Old Trafford.

Goals from Daley Blind, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan sealed the destination of the three points before Fabio Borini grabbed a late consolation for the visitors.

Jose Mourinho’s side remain sixth in the standings but now have some crucial momentum after a difficult start to the season.

A surprise victory here would have lifted Sunderland out of the relegation zone, but this was always likely to be a free hit for them.

Here are three things we learned from this Boxing Day clash…

United’s home form is finally on the up

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Much has been made of the poor home form of Manchester United, who had tasted victory in just three of their previous Premier League games under Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford. United have only lost once at home this season, a 2-1 reversal against fierce rivals Manchester City, but their habit of drawing matches they had dominated – Burnley and West Ham are two such examples – was seriously undermining their title ambitions.

However, the 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month looks like it broke the spell, for this was a much more authoritative display. If United have any hope of lifting the Premier League trophy this season, they will need to win the vast majority – if not all – of their remaining home games. It sounds fanciful, but their form has definitely improved recently, as evidenced by their four-game winning streak.

Now that confidence is high, nothing should be out of the question given the incredible array of talent at Mourinho’s disposal.