Just as Ralf Rangnick thought Manchester United had turned a corner, they crashed headlong into a brick wall.
It transpired that the energetic and clinical performance that overwhelmed Burnley just before the New Year was because they were playing Burnley.
So when they encountered a Wolves side who deploy pace and swift counter-attacks to excellent effect, albeit without necessarily rounding them off with a goal, everything shattered into pieces.
It is difficult to recall such a sloppy and slapdash display from a United side.