Man Utd 2 Wolves 0
In case you didn’t know, we’re in the age of artificial intelligence.
And if you asked a computer to imagine a standard home victory in the Premier League, it would almost certainly spit out something resembling this sun-drenched kickabout.
A predictable defeat at the Theatre of Dreams that followed all the familiar algorithms.
Utd squandered several chances before they eventually got ahead while Wolves enjoyed their share of the ball without ever threatening.
After a couple of shaky outings for David De Gea, he’ll have enjoyed not having to make a single save in the entire game. I can’t even remember him holding the ball in his hands.
Meanwhile, at the other end, Daniel Bentley was our Man of the Match on his Wolves and Premier League debut. He made three top-class stops to keep his team in the game before that final breakaway sealed the deal.
Others were tidy in possession and diligent in their work, but nobody was able to summon anything in the final third to make a fairly average Man Utd team sweat about seeing the game out.
Hwang had one good run in behind and Podence produced a cross that wouldn’t quite drop for Raul, but those nearly moments have too often been all we can muster.
The job for the summer is clear – sweep the decks and re-imagine the entire attacking unit. Nobody should be safe because nobody has produced the goods consistently enough to be overlooked.
That’s the only way we can avoid these familiar shutouts and end what’s been three years of steady decline in front of goal.
Fortunately, today’s result doesn’t matter and for all the frustration over our meagre output, that’s still worth celebrating.
But we must learn from what we see and take appropriate action. Even a computer can do that.