West Ham 0 MU 4 - a Day when MU lost all defenders

Darren Fletcher started at right back, with Gary Neville and Wes Brown lining central defence. Darron Gibson would pull the strings in midfield, with Paul Scholes, the ageing warrior, playing the holding role. Wayne Rooney was down to scavenge alone up front, with Michael Owen and Dimitar Berbatov, his possible partners, sitting on the bench.

Goodness knows what the Old Trafford sage made of it at the end, with United reduced to ten men by injuries to Neville and Brown and the complement of substitutes having been used. Michael Carrick filled in at centre back, with Patrice Evra alongside, Ryan Giggs retreated to left back and Owen and Berbatov came on to forage in attack. Crazy, mixed-up formations, from start to finish. Square pegs in round holes, a mish-mash of needs-must choices from Ferguson, forced by his lack of fit defenders. Yet did anyone notice? United toyed with West Ham, edged ahead on the stroke of half-time and then pulverised them into submission.

Ferguson does not panic when Plan A disintegrates. Even when Plans B and C have been ripped to shreds, too, the trust in his squad — especially the fringe members, the frustrated B-listers — is absolute. What was he effin’ doing? Taking them out of their comfort zones, asking them to perform alien tasks, demanding versatility in potential adversity. Yet safe in the knowledge that they would not let him down. And they did not.

Scholes, the master, fired United in front with a bullet of a shot; Gibson, the willing apprentice, thundered in another, his third goal of the week. Antonio Valencia and Rooney completed the demolition.