When Erik ten Hag warned that Manchester United would unleash their madness on FC Porto, this wasn’t what he had in mind.
What Ten Hag wanted was a response to Sunday’s limp defeat to Tottenham. What he got was another of those crazy European nights from United that became a hallmark of his second season at Old Trafford.
Think Bayern Munich, FC Copenhagen and Galatasaray (twice). Four high-scoring games in which United displayed a horrible knack for conceding goals in quick succession, losing three of them and drawing one.
They were at it again in the Estadio do Dragao on Thursday night. Two goals ahead and on course for a victory to take the pressure off their embattled manager, United somehow contrived to go behind again as Samu Omorodion led the fightback. The powerful young Spaniard only made his debut for Porto last month but has now scored seven goals in six games.
Incredibly, it was the 24th time in two-and-half years under Ten Hag that United have let in three goals or more.
As if it couldn’t get any worse, captain Bruno Fernandes was then sent off for the second time in a week on his return to his hometown.
Substitute Harry Maguire headed a 91st-minute equaliser to at least spare United another defeat but there were plenty of questions for Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the new leadership structure he has put in place at United to ponder as Ten Hag heads into a perilous international break.
He talks about processes and his team being in transition, but just how much have United moved on from the madness of last season? Where is the improvement in his players? What is the evidence of another £200million spent in the transfer market?
United go to Aston Villa on Sunday and Ten Hag desperately needs to show that his team can still be top-four contenders this season. On the evidence of the last week, they are miles away.