1 September — Liverpool 1-0 Manchester United A week after a disappointing 0-0 at home against Chelsea, United lose 1-0 away at Anfield. Though Liverpool had yet to turn into the rampaging, counter-attacking unit that would go on to top the table, they were comfortably better than a United side that never really got going. Robin van Persie missed a presentable chance to equalise towards the end of the game, the beginning of a troubled season for the Dutch striker.

2 September — Last day of the summer transfer window. Having spent the final hours desperately attempting to sign anybody that was both a central midfielder and not clinically dead, and following the adventures of three mysterious imposters who arrived in Spain and attempted to buy Athletic Bilbao's Ander Herrera without anybody asking them to, United end up signing Marouane Fellaini from Everton for £27.5m, a cool four million more than a release clause that had expired the previous week. "He is a player with great ability and strength and I think he will make a real difference to our squad," says Moyes. Reports later emerge that Moyes had initially identified Fellaini as not being being good enough, before panicking when every other midfielder in Europe refused to pick up their phone.

17 September — Manchester United 4-2 Bayer Leverkusen Though things weren't going to well on the domestic front, Moyes began his first campaign in the Champions League with a win that was comfortable and even classy at times. Hindsight will suggest that perhaps European sides were less quick to notice that United weren't quite themselves. Still, it seemed at the time to be a genuine sign that there might be something in the appointment. A feeling that lasted approximately five days.

22 September — Manchester City 4-1 Manchester United The first true humiliation of Moyes's reign comes just a few miles across the city, as Manuel Pellegrini's City side tear United into tiny pieces. Inferior in every department, United defend like children and attack like old men, with Wayne Rooney's late consolation goal the solitary moment of competence any of them manage to muster. Still, City are a good side ... "It is not frustrating because I will sort it. I will fix it. I will turn it around. I have got no doubt about that. We know we have to improve. I am still getting to know them. They are really good team, they won the Premier League last year, but we need to make sure we improve."