Jose Mourinho has insisted that despite the nine-point gap separating Manchester United from the top of the Premier League, they are still genuine title contenders.

There was only one reason Mourinho was brought to Old Trafford and that was to win back a Premier League trophy United once regarded as theirs by right. Three months into the season, he has still recorded only one league victory of significance – and that was against a Leicester side making a feeble defence of the championship they won against some of the longest odds ever offered in a sporting contest.

The Manchester United manager, however, takes a rather more detached view. Nine-point gaps, he argued, are the kind that can disappear very quickly. “When I won the title with Chelsea 18 months ago, I had a 10 point advantage and then, one month later, I had the same number of points as Manchester City.

“We lost 10 points in one month. It was between the end of December and mid-January. We recovered and won the title. You can recover points and others can lose them.”

The one flaw in Mourinho’s theory is that at Chelsea Mourinho was involved in a two-way struggle with Manuel Pellegrini’s Manchester City. This time, Manchester United would have to overtake five different clubs.

It can happen. Sir Alex Ferguson’s first Premier League title in 1993 was won from a similarly unpromising beginning but Mourinho must know it is unlikely.

“During a season there are moments when everything goes against you and moments when everything goes in your favour,” he said. “We know the race is not over but the reality is that there is a distance and there are many quality teams involved. Let’s go match by match and see what happens.”

The next match is at home to West Ham, a team in dreadful form and whose record at Old Trafford is hugely indifferent. But you could have said the same about Burnley and Stoke, both of whom returned home with a point secured against the overwhelming run of play. As Mourinho wearily pointed out, “For Stoke, their goalkeeper was man of the match, for Burnley, their goalkeeper was man of the match”.

Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings David de Gea - 5 A very uncharacteristic error for Mustafi’s opener, bizarrely befuddled by the bounce of the downward header. Somewhat atoned with some typically solid saves in the second half. AFP/Getty Images Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Eric Bailly - 6 A welcome returnee who stood up strongly at times. Could perhaps have shepherded youthful cohort Dalot outside him slightly better. Action Images via Reuters Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Chris Smalling - 6 Solid in the middle of the defensive three. Getty Images Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Marcos Rojo - 5 Regardless of whether it is his own goal or marked as Lacazette’s, a very poor error to allow the Frenchman the chance. REUTERS Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Diogo Dalot - 5 Very little impact on the game. One particularly lacklustre moment getting forward from right back but looking lost with so much time, wasting a chance to cross. Sead Kolasinac had some joy down Dalot’s channel. Getty Images Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Ander Herrera - 6 Showed alertness to retrieve and cut back for Martial to score, though could have been flagged offside. Combative otherwise. Action Images via Reuters Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Nemanja Matic - 7 Broke up play well and set the tone for Manchester United’s performance. A good showing. AFP/Getty Images Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Matteo Darmian - 6 Little of note either way. He and Bellerin seemed to cancel each other out, rather. EPA Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Jesse Lingard - 6 Took his goal nicely. Quiet elsewhere on a scrappy night. AFP/Getty Images Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Anthony Martial - 7 A birthday goal after following up a free kick well, before trudging off injured just after the hour mark. EPA Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Marcus Rashford - 6 Hit his free kick nicely to force Leno into the initial save EPA Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Bernd Leno - 5 Leno could perhaps have done better with Rashford’s free kick in the lead up to Martial’s leveller, and didn’t cover himself in glory for Lingard’s either. Getty Images Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Shkodran Mustafi - 6 A decent header down into the ground for his goal, though a huge helping hand from David De Gea. PA Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Sokratis Papastathopoulos - 6 Stout defensively for much of the 90 minutes. EPA Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Rob Holding - 5 Stretchered off after 36 minutes with a serious looking injury. Having found some form, a real shame for Arsenal. REUTERS Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Hector Bellerin - 6 As mentioned in Darmian’s rating, rather cancelled out. One sliced effort from the edge of the box. AFP/Getty Images Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Lucas Torreira - 6 Another spiky performance in midfield. He’s certainly added some much-needed bite, but ought to be careful not to go too far with his destructive duties. AFP Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Matteo Guendouzi - 6 Put himself about with energy and physicality. Not as accomplished a performance as we have seen from the young Frenchman, though not overawed by the big occasion by any means. Action Images via Reuters Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Lead Kolasinac - 5 An error to allow Lingard to equalise, and consistently wasteful despite often being the extra man over down Arsenal’s left. AP Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Aaron Ramsey - 6 Substituted at half time despite bravely trying to continue in real discomfort at the end of the first half. PA Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Alex Iwobi - 5 Missing the cutting edge. Plenty of graft, little to show for it. PA Manchester United vs Arsenal player ratings Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 6 Aubameyang will rue missing a good chance from close range in the second half flurry of action. AFP/Getty Images

On Thursday night, however well Brad Jones played for Feyenoord in the Europa League, the Australian keeper was unable to prevent Manchester United scoring four.

“Those kinds of big results are not very usual in the Premier League,” said Mourinho. “We lost 4-0 at Chelsea but it is not very usual because there is a great balance among the teams. Rather than beat one team 5-0, we need to win five games.”

Manchester United have not won back-to-back games since the start of the season when three straight victories gave Old Trafford hope that Mourinho might put together the electric starts that won him his first two titles at Chelsea.

Wayne Rooney’s opening goal in the rout of Feyenoord stole some easy headlines but the absence of Anthony Martial, who is rather more important to Manchester United’s long-term future, raised some eyebrows.

Having begun his first season thrillingly after a £36m move from Monaco made him football’s most expensive teenager, Martial may be suffering from second-season syndrome or he may be one of the very few at Manchester United who is missing Louis van Gaal.

“First of all, last year’s team is very different to this year’s team,” said Mourinho. “Last year’s was probably more adaptive to Anthony. He was probably more comfortable playing that way, at that intensity, at that rate of ball possession and ball circulation.

Martial has suffered a dip in form this season (Getty)

“He needs some time to adapt but in our squad we have a lot of people in those positions – we have Mkhitaryan, Lingard, Depay, Mata, Rashford. These are the positions where we probably have more options than any other.