After their win at Molineux on Sunday, Manchester United have become only the fourth team in English top-flight history to go the whole season unbeaten away from home in the league.
Despite making 10 changes to his starting-line up against Wolves , Ole Gunnar Solskjaer earned his 12th Premier League victory on the road this term.
Teenager Anthony Elanga and veteran midfielder Juan Mata scored for United either side of Nelson Semedo’s goal, with Mata most likely making his final appearance for the club.
United have drawn their other seven away matches in the Premier League, leaving them with an unblemished record on their travels. Their unbeaten away record now extends to 26 games, stretching all the way back to a 2-0 defeat at Anfield in January 2020.
“What an achievement,” Solskjaer told BT Sport after the game.
“Then again, our home form hasn’t been that great. But to go a season undefeated, that’s something we’ll be proud of.”
The three other teams to go a whole campaign without an away defeat include the Preston North End side which won the inaugural Football League unbeaten 132 years ago – albeit in the era of 22-game seasons – and Arsenal ’s ‘Invincibles’.
Arsenal also went unbeaten away from home in the 2001-02 campaign, which ended with them winning the second double of Arsene Wenger’s tenure.
United will have the chance to reach another historic milestone at the start of next season. Arsenal also hold the record for the longest unbeaten away run in the top flight, having remained undefeated for 27 games in a row on the road between April 2003 and September 2004.
That means that United only need to avoid defeat in one more away game to match the Invincibles’ record on the road.
Speaking to MUTV, Solskjaer admitted that he had taken a calculated gamble by resting so many of his regular starters at Molineux ahead of the Europa League final on Wednesday evening.
“It was about time we did [it],” he said, when asked about the unbeaten run.
“We haven’t done it before, so what an achievement by all the players, they have been excellent.
“I knew that we did put this record on the line by making all the changes, but we had to. One, because we believed in these players and, two, because the other players have played so much this season and needed an energy boost for Wednesday.”
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