Fear lingers we will fail first proper test

For the optimist Red, Saturday at Southampton was easily summarised. Here was yer classic cliché of the dismally ground-out one-nil; “such is the stuff of championships,” knowingly nods every pundit. You play a bit poorly, ride your luck, but take your main chance, and keep your nerve — job done.

Thus if you’re of an upbeat disposition, Saturday’s rather grim fare was perversely almost to be welcomed; it’s proof this team can do the grisly dirty work as well as the multi-goal showboating.

But for the pessimist, there’s also masochistic pleasure to be had. Hadn’t this rather wretched Southampton side failed to score in all but two of its last ten home games? Didn’t United also look equally underwhelming recently against two other poor sides, Everton and Stoke?