Red faces all around after a dire display

WHOEVER said United don’t occasionally do something for the common good? Before kick-off on Sunday, the ‘magic’ of the FA Cup third round had consisted solely of making thousands of fans disappear from their usual stadium places.

(Manchester City, according to the ‘Blackburn hill’-style legend they will doubtless soon be developing, apparently lost tens of thousands on the snowbound Pennine hills who had to go back to town rather than press on to Boro). Obituaries were being penned, the death rites of the old trophy readied. Then Beckford scores, United flap about shamefully ineptly for 75 minutes, and joy spreads nationwide.

Once again, Fergie utterly embarrassed himself with a time-keeping rant – as if an extra two minutes would’ve made any difference to a makeshift side who could barely hit the target for the 75 previous.