It’s not been a common pre-kick-off feeling this season but, for once, looking at a United teamsheet gave me hope last night.

Allegations of racism again marred the weekend’s football schedule, with Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger the victim during his side’s win at Tottenham.

Children of a certain age always end up asking one day ‘what is the Watford Gap, daddy?’ Yesterday, you might have suggested it was the chasm in the earth De Gea wished would open up after yet another of his blunders.

It was the first day of meteorological winter yesterday, and the temperature had duly dropped on cue, perhaps reminding some at Old Trafford of Ice Station Astana.

Forget the long winning run. We will now bore you endlessly about the long unbeaten run.

Four things we found out about Manchester United

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

Until 2019, I’d never seen Liverpool win a European tie after losing the first leg 3-0. That it was against Barcelona, and the world’s greatest ever player, only embellishes the miracle.

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

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does not believe Manchester United’s spot-kick situation needs addressing despite Paul Pogba’s penalty miss costing his side victory at Wolves.

Manchester United have condemned racial abuse which was aimed at midfielder Paul Pogba on social media after his missed penalty in the 1-1 draw at Wolves on Monday night.

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

Ahead of the 2019/20 La Liga season — which kicks off tonight — Dermot Corrigan looks at the key storylines to follow in the months ahead

Chris Sutton fully accepts that Paul Pogba hasn’t reproduced his World Cup-winning form at Old Trafford.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s return to his hometown club was marred by the confirmation that Manchester United defender Eric Bailly faces up to five months out following knee surgery.

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

After Manchester United's defeat at Old Trafford to relegated Cardiff City today, Paul Pogba had to withstand a barrage of abuse from some discontented United fans which was caught on camera.

The ‘Week from Hell’ duly ended on Wednesday with the thoroughly expected defeat to City. So, now begins the ‘Fortnight of Purgatory’.

The willingness to be responsible for success but not for failure is evident in much of business and politics, so we should not be surprised when it appears in football.

Ole Gunnar Solksjaer may well experience first-hand tonight the gulf in class that currently exists between his Manchester United side and their treble-chasing neighbours but, regardless of the result, the club’s new manager is already searingly honest in his appraisal of their standing in the English game.

Bienvenue from French Catalonia, where your correspondent is en route to watch either the end of United’s trophy hopes or one of the greatest nights ever.

World champions France easily beat Iceland to register their second victory in two Euro 2020 qualifying matches.

While most Gooners would’ve bitten your hand off for a draw in advance of last week’s encounter, there was no escaping the huge sense of disappointment, coming away from Wembley, having failed to capitalise on such a prime opportunity to silence our increasingly noisy neighbours.

Amidst the 101 different things we like about Ole is his refreshingly succinct and honest style in front of the microphones.

I am writing this in southwestern rural France, an hour before the start of ‘Le Crunch’, as the French call their annual rugby highlight against the elderberry-smelling English hamsters.

Daniel Storey on the weekend's talking points...

The Reds put aside their recent anxieties as they lifted themselves three points above champions Manchester City with goals from Sadio Mane, Georginio Wijnaldum and Mohamed Salah.

Nobody wants to say it out loud, but quite a few Reds are thinking it: has The Ole Bounce ended? A harsh suggestion, perhaps, after a ninth win in 10, and at a ground where even Manchester City have recently fallen.

Against Leicester City on Sunday, Manchester United produced their worst performance under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s short stewardship.

In one of those ludicrous articles where players’ putative contractual valuations are bandied about, Harry Kane was priced at €330m on Saturday. What’s he worth now, I wonder, after striking out last night? More to the point, what’s De Gea to be booked in at — half a billion?

Tottenham 0 Manchester United 1

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s magical reign as Manchester United boss survived its biggest test to date at St James’ Park last night, his second- half substitute Romelu Lukaku scoring with his first touch of the game and helping to write his interim manager into the record books.

May I be the first to wish you a happy new year, dear reader? Yes, that’s jumping the gun a tad; but being premature is very à la mode, it seems. Because Liverpool FC are the 2019 champions, or so we are told by most of the English media, so we may as well all go home.

So, the post-Fergie era consigns another manager’s Old Trafford reign to the history books, and with David Moyes’ six-year contract still having six months to run too!

Paul Pogba took barely half an hour to offer his epitaph for Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United career - or so it seemed.

It’s never a good day for Manchester United when they lose to Liverpool but to offer such a toothless display and be beaten so comprehensively by their bitter rivals, as they were in the 3-1 defeat at Anfield on Sunday, was clearly the final nail in the coffin for Jose Mourinho, writes Liam Brady.

One of the earliest and most hard-earned lessons I learned in the playground as a young football neophyte was that there was no team called Manchester.

Paul Pogba allayed talk of a Manchester United exit on his return to Juventus, with the midfielder insisting he is happy under Jose Mourinho and has no regrets about re-joining the Old Trafford giants.

He smiled, charmed, and quipped his way through a relatively stern interrogation from the media yesterday but, after the dust had settled on Jose Mourinho’s press

What a week this is going to be for the chief. Assailed by critics on all sides, ridiculed in the media, undermined by rebellious underlings, and with another European test looming. Is this survivable?

Jose Mourinho insists he relishes the pressure cup competitions can create as he seeks to draw a line under another turbulent weekend at Manchester United.

Paul Pogba thanked Jose Mourinho for keeping faith with him after he inspired Manchester United to victory at Young Boys.

Young Boys 0 Manchester United 3

And so with one coatless bound across Turf Moor, he was free; what a disappointing Sunday for all the Mourinho haters across the world.