Wayne Rooney offered 5,000 travelling supporters a reminder of former glories but, thanks in part to two goals from new striker Odion Ighalo, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s current Manchester United side made another potentially significant step forward.

Man United 1 Rochdale 1- Man United win 5-3 on penalties

As is now traditional here when United play the (snigger!) ‘Super Eagles’, I salute the entire mass of the Crystal Palace Irish Supporters’ Club.

Paul Pogba squandered the chance to send Manchester United to the top of the fledgling table as he missed yet another Premier League penalty.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has told Paul Pogba and any other wantaway players that Manchester United will not be pressured into selling.

It is part of Manchester United and Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer’s much-vaunted “DNA” for the club to do everything with a healthy pinch of drama and, based on the way his 10 men toiled in defeat at Molineux last night, the chase for the Champions League this season will be no different.

England rounded off a year to remember by progressing to the inaugural Nations League finals with a stirring comeback against World Cup semi-final foes, Croatia.

It's back!

England have reached World Cup semi-final for the first time since the Gazza-led team of Italia 90, which famously lost to Germany on penalties. But how do the teams compare and who makes a combined XI? We take on the challenge...

England 6 Panama 1

Pep Guardiola has clearly won his private, and long-standing, feud with Jose Mourinho for this season at least but, to listen to beaten manager Carlos Carvalhal on Saturday, the all-conquering Catalan should make the most of his current dominance.

As a 1970s Mancunian boy, I lived in fear of Manchester City winning the league title. As a 1980s teenager, that fear faded as City declined. As a 1990s man, I grew to think it would never happen in my lifetime, so comical had MCFC become.

Our man inside the game struggles to watch international friendles, but this week he tried

Gareth Southgate's men capped a promising display with a deserved victory as an experimental England side secured victory thanks to Jesse Lingard's first international goal.

Here was one of Jose Mourinho’s finest Manchester United hours, certainly of this season, and one that could have far-reaching implications for his club, and perhaps, England.

Who would have thought so many Reds could be so happy on a day when Manchester City were playing for a trophy?

Man United 2 - Chelsea 1: Antonio Conte may have seen his long-running feud with Jose Mourinho come to an end at Old Trafford but it may also have been the afternoon when the Chelsea manager saw his team’s hopes of a Champions League place similarly disappear into thin air.

Romelu Lukaku inspired Manchester United to a comeback win against former club Chelsea as Jose Mourinho got the better of Antonio Conte.

Alexis Sanchez has been sentenced to 16 months in prison for committing tax fraud in Spain — but the Manchester United forward will avoid serving any jail time.

"This is totally unacceptable and does not reflect my personality or views on this emotional day."

Gameweek 24 had an air of nostalgia for Fantasy Premier League managers, as we watched former legends of the game come to the fore again.

Debutant Alexis Sanchez helped steer Manchester United into the FA Cup fifth round with two assists as Jose Mourinho’s men eased past Yeovil 4-0.

Stubbornly holding on to a player can be fatal in Fantasy Premier League - but managers have been finding out recently that selling one too soon can be every bit as calamitous.

Goalkeeper Sergio Romero will start for Manchester United against Derby.

Jose Mourinho has hinted Manchester United may be in active in the January transfer market after all following a spate of injuries.

Jose Mourinho’s side also lost striker Romelu Lukaku to a serious-looking head injury.

Jesse Lingard’s second-half heroics may have plastered over some of the cracks in Manchester United’s season, but Jose Mourinho was left to count the cost of a damaging six days.

So much for getting one’s just deserts from Santa. 

Jose Mourinho is set to recall Henrikh Mkhitaryan for Manchester United’s Carabao Cup quarter-final at Championship side Bristol City tonight.

Jose Mourinho's men are 11 points behind runaway leaders Man City in the table.

Manchester United survived a late scare to clinch an uninspiring victory at West Brom.

“They will have do a lot better than this at Watford and Arsenal,” I groaned last Monday, after Mourinho’s grisly week. I think it’s safe to say United achieved that, don’t you? Seven goals and six points harvested from two of the most purely enjoyable matches travelling Reds will have seen in yonks equals ‘job done’ in any book.

“We’ll be punished if we play like this on Saturday.” It’s not often the crowd at the Emirates grumbles in agreement, but that was the general sentiment in N5 just before 9pm last Wednesday.

Ashley Young struck twice against former club Watford as Manchester United won a thrilling contest at Vicarage Road to close to within five points of leaders Manchester City.

Manchester United bounced back from their Huddersfield horror show with a comfortable Carabao Cup victory at Swansea last night.

Manchester United bounced back from their Huddersfield horror show with a comfortable Carabao Cup victory at Swansea.

CSKA Moscow 1 Manchester United 2: Striker Romelu Lukaku continued his remarkable scoring run with two goals as Manchester United swept aside CSKA Moscow 4-1 in Russia.

Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino is considering thrusting Virgil van Dijk into his starting line-up in an attempt to shackle free-scoring Manchester United tomorrow.

Man United 4 Burton 1: Marcus Rashford’s brace inspired holders Manchester United to as comprehensive a Carabao Cup victory as you would expect against much-changed Burton.

Wayne Rooney's Old Trafford return ended in disappointment as Antonio Valencia's breath-taking strike set Manchester United on course for a comprehensive victory against Everton.

Marcus Rashford believes injured Paul Pogba will be a “massive miss” for Manchester United despite the strength in depth at Jose Mourinho’s disposal.

Jose Mourinho accepts Manchester United are now unlikely to sign the wide man he had hoped for this summer.

France 3 - England 2: Not even the controversial use of video assistant referees could prevent Gareth Southgate’s England from succumbing to defeat in their season-ending friendly against France.

Manchester United 2 Crystal Palace 0: Jose Mourinho yesterday gave United supporters a glimpse of their future with four full debutants, their youngest player in 61 years and the club’s youngest line-up in Premier League history.

Fifa are to investigate the world-record transfer of Paul Pogba to Manchester United.

Jose Mourinho’s self-confessed gamble to prioritise the Europa League over the Premier League looks like being a success, after Marcus Rashford’s stunning free-kick gave Manchester United a vital first-leg lead in the semi-final against Celta Vigo, putting them within touching distance of both a trophy and a place at Europe’s top table for 2018.

Manchester United 1 Swansea 1: As Jose Mourinho surveyed the wreckage of yet another home league draw, he was hard pressed to know where to start trying to resurrect a season that is in danger of spiralling out of control.

Jesse Lingard has signed a new and improved deal.