Someone went on a dung hunt when they arrived. A quest to locate horse manure. There was a little, neatly-written message to go with it. ‘If found, return to Old Trafford!’ it read, waiting for Manchester City supporters to ridicule their beleaguered neighbours.
And they did, crowding around, gleefully taking pictures. Two members of the local constabulary, both on horseback, roared with laughter as they trotted past.
They found it so funny that they circled round for a second look. They even had their own snaps taken before riding off elsewhere.
That was half-an-hour before kick-off and the levity, the joviality, stopped not long after.