Make no mistake, Manchester United players were suffering yesterday. Their manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, was hurting. Sunday’s train journey back from London was understandably quiet, squad and staff lost in their thoughts after that deserved defeat by West Ham United. The pain, a bit like the rain, seeped into Manchester yesterday, as it should because the performance was unacceptable. Declan Rice and Mark Noble sensed the vulnerabilities among Solskjaer’s men and hunted them down.

A flying visit to Manchester, and assorted conversations, rammed home the message that United are both chastened and determined to make amends. A feeling of gratitude and deep respect remains, as ever, for the travelling fans who showed remarkable forbearance at the London Stadium, not displaying any real dissent barring some