This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

So after falling to an embarrassing 1-0 defeat to Newcastle last time out, Manchester United restored their sense of pride with a hard-fought 1-1 draw with arch-rivals Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.

It was the kind of performance that showed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side do have something promising to build upon, winning tackles, going into 50/50 challenges and stopping one of European football’s feared attacks from scoring until the 85th minute.

But once again, the Red Devils showed they simply can’t hold onto victories. It is quickly becoming an Achilles heel of theirs, and one key stat really puts things into perspective.

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According to OptaJoe, no side has dropped more points from winning positions than the eight United have given up this campaign – a tally only level with newly-promoted Aston Villa. Whilst of course the following is only hypothetical, had United converted all of those games into victories, then they would currently be lying only one point behind Manchester City.

Their inability to close out games is costing them precious points in a period where they simply need every last one. The Red Devils’ injury crisis means any win they can take would be hugely important, and failing to either shut the opposition out, or scoring that decisive goal themselves, is shooting them in the foot.

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If anything, it speaks to a mentality that shows they are lacking in confidence – an almost resignation that the other side will eventually get themselves back into the game. The more points they drop like this, the more encouragement it gives opposition teams that they can never rule themselves out from claiming a result against Solskjaer’s side.

Going too defensive as the United boss did in the second-half against Liverpool clearly isn’t the answer. It simply invites too much pressure on, and the Red Devils’ defence can’t cope. The onus therefore should be on trying to kill the game off by scoring a second or third, and forward-thinking substitutions and progressive in-game management will be the key to doing so.

If they can’t hang on to wins, they can kiss their chances of finishing in one of the European spots this season goodbye.