Marvelling at the Red Army is nothing new but this was a display of what following the club in Europe is all about. Enjoying the trip, supporting the team and genuinely feeling such efforts will, in some small way, bring some positive energy to the players. Earlier this morning, the legend that is Bryan Robson told us: ‘Everyone expects United to get beaten’ but nobody was telling that to these fans.

The songs kept coming. ‘From the banks of the River Irwell to the shores of Sicily’ they roared, and it was not too far off with its geographical relevance in this fixture. ‘The pride of all Europe’ is something that has been sung with utmost justification after so many successes on the continent. Here, it felt like a cry, and an urge to deliver on this big stage to feel at home among the competition’s elite again.