Perhaps Manchester City was wobbling. Perhaps, given Manchester United had lost only one of its last seven games at the Etihad, this wouldn’t be a repeat of United’s limp defeat in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford. Perhaps this was an opportunity for United to strike a blow in the battle for fourth. Perhaps there was a danger that City would lose ground in the title race. Perhaps, perhaps. United probably was better here than in November, but it was still comprehensively outplayed in the 4–1 loss.
The thing Ole Gunnar Solskjær had always been good at was sitting his side deep against teams who sought to dominate possession, then striking on the break.