Either side of coasting their way to the Carabao Cup crown at Wembley last Sunday, Manchester United have had to puff out their chest and roll up their sleeves to keep their hopes of adding more silverware to their collection this season alive.
Following Said Benrahma's opener for West Ham United at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening, United were on course to be exiting the FA Cup at the fifth round stage. Their long unbeaten run at Old Trafford was in serious danger of coming to an end, especially after VAR cancelled out what Casemiro thought was an equaliser.
It was shaping up to be one of those nights when nothing would quite go right, meaning the Reds looked set to be left with just the Premier League and Europa League to focus on. But after Hammers defender Nayef Aguerd headed into his own net with 13 minutes of normal time left on the clock, United rallied and found a further two goals to book a quarter-final date with Fulham later this month.
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All of a sudden, United are now just one win away from another trip to Wembley and a second semi-final of the season. Few would have thought it possible after the way they were beaten up, spat back out and embarrassed by Brentford less than seven months ago.
Since that defeat in west London, however, United have been a different animal. With the exception of the 6-3 battering at Manchester City, they have not been trampled on or beaten up since. They are a new beast under Erik ten Hag, driven by his winning mentality and hunger for success.
Wednesday night's win over West Ham was another prime example of why United turned to Ten Hag as their first-choice candidate to pick up the baton from Ralf Rangnick last summer. Their comeback against the Hammers was the third time in the three cup competitions this season that they had recovered from staring elimination in the face.
They trailed twice against Aston Villa in the third round of the Carabao Cup, finding themselves 1-0 and 2-1 down ahead of rallying to win 4-2. They then found themselves trailing in both legs of their Europa League clash against Barcelona last month, coming from 1-0 down on the night and 3-2 down on aggregate in the second leg to win 2-1 on the night and 4-3 on aggregate, resulting in them setting up a last-16 showdown with Real Betis.
United's ability to fight back and recover in games when they would have previously folded has been an admirable trait that they have developed under Ten Hag this season. In the Premier League they have collected eight points from losing positions so far this term, compared to the 10 that they won in the whole of last season from such positions.
While no team ever wants to find themselves behind in a game and facing an uphill struggle, United are proving that they do not roll over and admit defeat when trailing. They find the courage and wisdom to fight back, both to draw level and then complete a full recovery.
As they have proven against both Barcelona and West Ham in the past week or so, they have been able to recover from laboured first-half showings and still find a way to win. Their new-found winning mentality and familiarity with winning games this season, even when not always at their best and producing brilliant, free-flowing, vibrant football, has meant that they have become used to digging in and finding a way. It is what the best teams do.
While footballing ability is one important aspect, so is having the correct mindset and determination to succeed. And that is something Ten Hag highlighted in his maiden interview as United manager last May, when asked about the importance of developing a team prepared to show the fight and grit required to get results.
"Everywhere I was in my career, I have high demands on my players," Ten Hag said. "I expect them to fight and give 100 per cent.
"I already mentioned that only good is [not] good enough – no, not only that. We have to do better and they have to cooperate. They have to be unified, to form a team, and to battle the opponent."
Though United still have several more hurdles to jump before they can be considered the finished article, they are proving that anything will be possible with Ten Hag at the helm. He has restored standards and has put the pride back into the shirt.
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