After one-third of the Premier League season, Manchester United are second, three points ahead of Chelsea, four ahead of Arsenal, five ahead of Tottenham and six ahead of Liverpool.
Not bad, right? Fans would have accepted that at the start of the season, given that it represents continued improvement, as does the team topping its Champions League group. There's one problem, however: Less than two weeks ahead of derby day at Old Trafford, Manchester City's eight-point advantage is a significant dampener upon United spirits.
United have the league's best defence and, despite the absence of regular centre-backs Phil Jones and Eric Bailly, kept a ninth clean sheet in 13 games against Brighton on Saturday.