Manchester United made it through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday to kick-off a potentially season-defining week with a victory.

Jose Mourinho’s men go to Saint-Etienne in the Europa League on Wednesday before taking on Southampton in the League Cup final on Sunday, so to get past Blackburn Rovers 2-1 on Sunday was the ideal start to the week for the Red Devils.

They had to work for Sunday’s victory though, as Danny Graham did put Owen Coyle’s men ahead at Ewood Park, only for Marcus Rashford and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to net either side of half time to secure United’s spot in the last eight, where they will face Premier League leaders Chelsea.

However, a lot of games will take place between now and then, with Mourinho’s men pushing for a top four finish in the Premier League this term, given that they are currently sixth and just two points behind Arsenal in fourth.

Nonetheless, there are still some things that need improving at Old Trafford between now and the end of the season if they are to finish in the top four, and indeed get their hands on some silverware.

Thus, here are THREE things that Mourinho and his United side must improve ahead of

Turn draws into wins

United have been guilty of drawing too many games this season, which is the chief reason why they are not in Premier League title contention this term.

While they have only lost three times in the league so far, the last coming back in October, Mourinho’s men have drawn nine of their 25 matches, six of which have come at Old Trafford.

And when you look at the opponents who have taken points off United, and indeed look at the actual games themselves, it’s certainly points dropped, with the likes of Stoke City, Burnley, West Ham, and Hull all drawing in the North West, despite the home side dominating for large periods.

Although they did go on a winning streak over Christmas and New Year, United have drawn three of their last five Premier League games so, although they appeared to get over the line in terms of winning games, they still have a tendency to not do enough to get the job done.

They have had more shots on goal in the league this season than any other side (17.2), but their tally of 38 goals is 16 less than the best (both Arsenal and Liverpool have scored 54), and eight less than the next-worst in the top six, which is Tottenham with 46.

Clearly, United will have to turn draws into victories over the coming weeks and months if they are to win some silverware this term, and indeed finish in the top four.

Record versus the top sides

One feature of Manchester United’s success under Sir Alex Ferguson was their relentless ability to take points off their title and top four rivals.

However, they haven’t been able to do that this term, winning just one of their six games against fellow top six sides, drawing three and losing twice.

Mourinho’s men beat Tottenham 1-0 at Old Trafford back in December, but other than that they have had little success against the other top sides in the division, with Manchester City beating them at Old Trafford, and both Liverpool and Arsenal taking a point from their visits to Manchester.

Thus, their away form against these sides needs serious improvement, as although they picked up a credible point at Anfield back in October, they were then thumped 4-0 by Chelsea six days later.

And, with trips to Arsenal, Tottenham, and Manchester City to come, as well as a home clash with leaders Chelsea, Mourinho must improve their fortunes against the top sides, otherwise they may struggle to get into the top four come May.

Over-reliance on Ibrahimovic

United have scored 38 goals in the Premier League this season, and 15 of those have come from Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

And when you consider that the Swedish forward is their top-scorer in all competitions with 24, and the next-best is Juan Mata with nine, there is clearly an over-reliance on Ibrahimovic to get the necessary goals.

Obviously, the 35-year-old has been in terrific form this term and will continue to lead the line when fit and fresh, yet the other forward players must chip in, as Ibrahimovic could go through a barren spell like earlier in the campaign, where he netted just once in 12 games between September and November.

United only won four of those games and scored just 12 times altogether, so it’s imperative that the likes of Mata, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Anthony Martial, and Marcus Rashford start taking the weight off Ibrahimovic’s shoulders by netting more regularly.

All four have netted in recent games, which is a good sign for United, but it was once again Ibrahimovic that bailed them out at the weekend, with his 24th goal of the campaign enough to see off Blackburn in the FA Cup.

It is also up to the others to step up ahead of the run in, otherwise United are going to find it difficult to finish in the top four.