Jekyll and Hyde Manchester United have clawed back 31 POINTS from losing positions this season after latest comeback at Aston Villa... but if games ended at half-time they'd be way down in 13th in the Premier League table!

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It is no secret Manchester United have been affectionately, or otherwise, nicknamed 'Second Half FC' this season. In a style which recalls the never-say-die attitude of Sir Alex Ferguson's tenure, they just do not know when they're beaten.

The comeback against Aston Villa at the weekend showed just that. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, a self-professed student of the legendary Ferguson, looks to have picked up all the right tricks, having guided his team to countless victories from behind.

Bertrand Traore's stunning opener in the Midlands was enough to light up any game of Premier League football, but there was a strange sense of finality when the ball found the back of the net. 'Here we go', his team-mates were probably thinking.

Manchester United have now claimed 31 points from losing positions after beating Aston Villa

There is a sense Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team are capable of mounting comebacks every game

And sure enough, just as night always turns to day, United grouped together at the break and, following another effective pep talk from their manager, clawed back from a goal down to win 3-1 and tighten their grip on second spot.

It has been a familiar feeling for United supporters throughout this campaign. A rollercoaster ride it may be, and one they likely hope was a great deal simpler, but their players know how to get the job done.

The stellar track record of fighting back masks a very worrying fact for Solskjaer and his coaching staff, however. He was keen to play down the tendency to deliver stodgy and slow first-half performances as a coincidence, but it simply can't be.

United have been dogged by a number of poor first-half performances during this campaign

Edinson Cavani nodded in United's third goal late on at Villa Park to seal another comeback win

Be it a mentality issue or, as Luke Shaw hinted, a failure to be 'ready' for games, the conundrum is there and must be solved. Pulsating comebacks after half-time are not enough to sustain title challenges or a push for silverware alone.

In fact, the issue has been laid horribly bare for United through an alternative league table. This one, made up from half-time scores alone, shows the club lying down the pecking order in 13th spot. 

Around them are the likes of Fulham, Burnley and Leeds, while sitting pretty at the top are, unsurprisingly, Manchester City. 

So, how do the rest of the standings look? Tottenham are sat behind a rampant City in second, 10 points behind the leaders' tally of 71.

This may come as little shock to the club's fanbase, with their collapses after the break largely the main factor behind the derailing of their season. Under Jose Mourinho, the team looked incapable of holding on to a lead.

Making up the rest of the top four spots are Chelsea and West Ham. Both teams are enjoying fine seasons and their strong first-half form has helped propel them up the table to be in and around the Champions League places.

Next, Everton, Aston Villa and Liverpool are on course to qualify for the Europa League. Carlo Ancelotti's side are scrapping to get into Europe this season, although it looks as though their second-half performances have ended their top four hopes.

In eighth are Brighton. The south coast outfit have confused even the biggest brains in the business this term with their xG being very high, but their actual position in the table just above the drop zone. 

To little surprise, Manchester City are flying high at the top of the real life and half-time tables

Tottenham have also impressed in their first-half performances and sit all the way up in second

As the alternative standings show, what they serve up in the first-half is the least of their worries heading into the summer.

Southampton are the second surprise name flying high in the upper reaches. Another top-flight team based down south and flailing around for points in reality, their results at the interval would see them just outside the European spots.

Crystal Palace and Leicester take up 10th and 11th respectively. The former, who are actually 13th in the real table, have seen their good work underdone in painful fashion after the whistle for the second half has sounded.

Leicester, meanwhile, may be punching for a top-four finish this time around, but Brendan Rodgers, like Solskjaer, will have plenty of cause for concern with what has been happening in the first period of games.

Leicester are currently in fourth spot but the half-time table has them lying down in 12 place

Arsenal have endured a miserable season and have been ahead at half-time in just nine games

Below them are Arsenal, who can be found down in 12th in this alternative state of play. It has truly been a season to forget for Mikel Arteta, and his strugglers have 43 points, six adrift of the final European place. 

Then, it's Manchester United. With scores taken solely from half-time, the Red Devils have drawn a whopping 19 games, and lost eight. The 21 goals shipped do not make for good reading either.

Fulham, Burnley, Leeds and Wolves are the only other teams who escape the dreaded dotted line above 18th. Leeds' position is staggering considering their heroics this term, although Marcelo Bielsa is sure to delve into this.

Leeds are in 16th in the half-time table but have enjoyed a fine campaign back in the top-flight

Propping up the table are Newcastle, West Brom and Sheffield United. 

The final two clubs have been officially relegated, but it is some strong second-half showings from Steve Bruce's team that has seen them secure survival.

But what if we were now to take the second half scores in isolation? How would the table look then?

Well, the inevitability of comebacks from United see them in top spot. They would have 18 wins, 12 draws and just four defeats - and the 44 goals, and 15 conceded, have given supporters plenty to be optimistic about.

Some of the notable changes between the two different tables are Leicester sitting in fourth, Arsenal moving into seventh and Tottenham dropping all the way to 11th.

Leeds have also impressed after the break, shooting up to be fifth, while West Ham's stuttering bid for the top four has been all but shattered by what happens in the second half.

It is important to remember, of course, that both these tables are solely hypothetical. Football is enthralling because drama can break out in any minute of every game. A 93rd minute winner is just as important as a breakthrough after 60 seconds.

United's never-say-die attitude and comebacks see them at the top of the second-half table 

Solskjaer labelled the poor first-half displays as coincidence but the track record is worrying

But what these standings do reveal is a fascinating insight into which side of each of the 20 teams is shown at the start of matches, and then at the end. 

The cold, hard statistics shown in the different points tallies are far from the coincidence that Solskjaer believes they may be. 

Yes, fluke goals or poor decisions may skew everything slightly, but the glimpse into the mentalities and fitness of players is one every manager should embrace. 

It may well prove the difference between winning trophies or suffering heartbreak.