It did not require this derby to tell us Manchester United are now going backwards under Jose Mourinho. Three goals shipped to Brighton & Hove Albion were a lot more telling than the three goals conceded to this free-scoring Manchester City side.

Abysmal starts against Newcastle and Bournemouth told us much more than those feeble beginnings against Pep Guardiola’s relentless operation. Indeed, we did not need this derby to inform us there is a huge gulf between City and United, on the pitch and off, but if we are searching for reasons why the gap has been allowed to grow to the point where it now looks a very long road back for a club that used to set the yardstick for the rest, Sunday was instructive.

Paul Pogba succumbed to injury on the eve of the game but, even then, that was not enough to persuade Mourinho to start his £52 million summer signing, Fred, who remained on the bench throughout the 3-1 defeat, even when United’s midfield was getting overrun. Drink that in for a moment. United parted with the same amount of money on one player that Juventus have spent reconstructing an entire midfield over the past three years and a half-fit Marouane Fellaini was considered preferable for the full 90 minutes to the club’s headline close-season recruit.