United lick their wounds and plot their course

IT was a gesture which summed up Manchester United’s miserable mood. As Cristiano Ronaldo hobbled off to the now familiar chorus of jeers and catcalls, the Portuguese stared at one section of his detractors, raised a single finger and used another to jab repeatedly at his injured thigh. It encapsulated United’s overwhelming frustration and anger at the sense of an opportunity lost.

This should have been the moment for United to lay down a significant marker in the defence of their Premier League title and reminded everyone this is still a three-horse race.

With joint leaders Chelsea and Liverpool both held to goalless draws earlier in the day a United victory — which would have been their 12th in a row at a stadium which has become their home from home in recent years — would have eased them to within six points of the top, with a game in hand and a raft of home games against their main rivals still to come in the second half of the season.