After losing 7-0 in their previous match, logic suggests the manager should rotate their side for the next game, right?
Well, Erik ten Hag took a different approach as his Manchester United side faced Real Betis - their first match after losing in humiliating fashion against Liverpool. His starting lineup was unchanged, with those that took to the field at Anfield given a chance to make amends somewhat.
Ten Hag suggested pre-match that he named this particular side as they gave "the best chance to win the game", which did indicate the Liverpool game being placed out of the forefront of his thinking.
However, he did later admit that a chance of atonement for the players was a part of his thinking. And the decision, as so often with Ten Hag, was spot on.
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The perceived risk to name the same starting side paid dividends as United came home 4-1 victors, with the respect for the players that has grown in such abundance among fans this season allowed to remain without any lasting effects on the back of the Liverpool defeat.
If Ten Hag named some of those players on the bench, there may have been a risk that doubt was allowed to linger. And by starting the same crop, they were able to prove events at Anfield are unrepresentative of their wider progress.
There was clear intent to put things right very early on at Old Trafford on Thursday night. The home crowd were buoyant anyway - a sign of the respect in the bank, which meant the connection developed between players and fans this term was hardly fragmented. But still, there was desire to prove to the wider world that events four days prior were anomalous.
The application from the players was shown in the opening minutes as Diogo Dalot and Antony surged down the right flank in a proactive manner to win a corner. And after six minutes, United found themselves ahead.
It was a powerful strike from Marcus Rashford preceded by a fast breakaway after a quick free-kick taken by Casemiro. Rashford initially played the ball to Bruno Fernandes, whose pass intended for Rashford somewhat fortuitously fell to the goalscorer after an unsuccessful interception. There was no mistake in the finish, however, with composure to shift the ball and a ruthless streak to give Claudio Bravo no chance.
A roar from Rashford once celebrations died down was telling of the release caused by the goal. It was crucial that United started in such a manner rather than allowing a continuation of the disarray that riddled the second half at Anfield.
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Despite taking the lead, United did go back into their shell somewhat for a period. There was a feeling of controlled to their performance, but they were occasionally almost too reserved. Chances did come around, but they often went begging, especially for Wout Weghorst.
There were a number of indicators that the players' confidence was rocked somewhat, with some bad decisions and poor execution.
This tentative side to their performance was costly as Ayoze Perez - on loan from Leicester City - pegged United back with an equaliser for Betis. The finish was precise to beat David de Gea low off his far post from the opposite corner of the penalty area, but United's defensive arrangement, which saw Luke Shaw dragged inside, was poor to leave Perez free in the box.
They could count themselves lucky not to have fallen behind too, with De Gea passing astray on a number of occasions - often setting United off on the wrong foot in possession, and once leading to Betis hitting the post late in the first half.
There remained times where United unquestionably looked weary, which offered some excuse for lapses, including in the case of the levelling goal. Tiredness was one possible mitigating factor for part of the defeat at Anfield too, with an overload of games seeing players start to fatigue and look laboured in recent matches.
Yet while many may be beckoning for the international break to come and offer some reprieve from the rigmarole of playing multiple matches each week, Ten Hag's United side have shown a knack to dig deep. This may not have been the case under the pressure of playing at Anfield as a United player and against a rampant, clinical Liverpool side, but reserves were found against Betis.
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Even with it clear that fatigue was a factor among the squad, it remained evident that they were putting in their best efforts. There were certain signs of the pain from the Liverpool loss being channelled as motivation - the response Ten Hag will have desired from all of those that were collectively culpable.
As the game progressed through the second half, it became apparent that belief was growing too - evidence of the substantial merit in Ten Hag keeping the same starting team, in hand allowing the players to feel they were putting wrongs right and not being allowed to dwell.
It appeared Ten Hag had given the players their necessary talking to in the days subsequent at the training ground, meaning the debacle on Merseyside could be put on the back-burner, and focus could switch to the Betis game, where it was imperative that lessons were applied.
"Sometimes you have to get the bad result where everyone opens their eyes," said Ten Hag, pertinently, after the conclusion of the eventual victory over Betis.
There is definite reason in suggesting the drubbing last Sunday is some form of blessing in disguise, even if not remotely ideal. Exposing flaws can stimulate improvement, and taking those valuable lessons can be a positive thing.
The early signs are that these lessons are being responded to well, which allows for an event that rival fans don't allow to be easy to forget be rendered a thing firmly of the past.
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There were lots of indications that Ten Hag merely viewed the whole situation as one major blip, shown by him entrusting rather than punishing those largely responsible, and indicated by Liverpool converting seven of eighth shots on target at the time.
United's second half performance against Betis did reinforce the idea that it was a freak outcome. The football was expansive - front-footed in a manner fans have become accustomed to under Ten Hag this season, with fluid interplay rendering disconnects between segments of the team against Liverpool an outlier.
Antony put United ahead shortly into the second half after a move exemplifying United's poise, with Fernandes sharply turning and playing the ball wide to his Brazilian team-mate. Affording Antony to cut inside onto his left foot is naive defensively, and the United winger punished being afforded this time and space by shifting the ball and curling past Bravo from the egde of the box.
This acted as a kickstart for United's half. Attacking pressure saw them win the corner which resulted in their third goal, with Shaw's corner to the near post meeting the run of Fernandes, which saw him evade any marker to head United to a two-goal buffer.
Fernandes was a heavily criticised figure for his emotional antics against Liverpool, and he responded to doubt about his status as captain with a commanding performance. He was moved more centrally than his wide berth at Anfield, sometimes in a slightly deeper position from which he could orchestrate. He worked incredibly hard when it came to pressing and tracking back too - a perceived improvement from his display against Anfield.
Individual stories of bounce-back were prevalent - something else beneficial as a result of Ten Hag not opting to make any changes from the start. Some players had been particularly scrutinsed, but they were given the chance to respond.
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Weghorst was the epitome of being given a chance to respond to scrutiny, with criticism coming his way after footage showed him touching the 'This is Anfield' sign pre-match last Sunday. He testified that it was intended to prevent international team-mate Virgil van Dijk touching the sign, as is ritual.
Nonetheless, it still felt important that he scored United's fourth goal against Betis to put any doubt about his commitment to bed.
The goal may have been a rebound, which he has to score as United's striker, but it was still a cathartic moment as he finally got his Old Trafford account open after a wrath of missed chances. He never gave up - a key facet of what has made him important to United in a unique way.
You could see Weghorst's passion for the club in his celebrations, with a knee slide accompanied by a scream of joy proceeded by near tears of joy. It was a moment of delight for most inside Old Trafford, including ground staff with beaming smiles by the tunnel entrance.
Casemiro also greeted the goal with a massive grin - the last to embrace Weghorst after a scene that emphasised the squad's camaraderie. They by no means allowed for what happened in the game prior to disjoint them, instead pulling together.
Substitute Facundo Pellistri is another player who warrants his dues for his part in creating the goal, again proving a case for becoming a more regular feature. A dart with the ball from the edge of the box saw him deceive a couple of defenders before playing the ball across to Scott McTominay, whose shot was blocked and led to Weghorst converting the rebound.
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The setback suffered against Liverpool is one thing, and United's mettle and mentality to respond is another - something that deserves just as much focus. There is resilience in Ten Hag's squad, which has been shown in reaction to whenever they have suffered a significant defeat this term.
Even in the relative microcosm of the Betis victory, the ability to bounce back from adversity was shown after Betis equalised - a time at which United looked worn out. They found extra gears to win fairly comfortably, and by a margin that could have been even greater with a more clinical edge.
The withdrawal of key players by the midway point of the second half, namely Shaw and Rashford, indicated Ten Hag had seen enough to suggest the response from his players was sufficient and the job was done with regard to learning valuable lessons.
In the scheme of the Europa League alone, it is a very good result - an outcome which leaves United in a position of comfort ahead of the second leg, with a three-goal lead against the side fifth-place in La Liga, who haven't contested a match with a full-time result of above a single-goal margin in their 10 league games since the World Cup.
United were rampant in their response to humiliation.
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