A Thursday night outing at Old Trafford. For Manchester United fans, as has been the case all too often in recent times, it is something that they are likely going to have to grow accustomed to. Mathematically, with three matches still to fulfil, United are officially out of the equation for finishing inside the top four of the Premier League and will not feature in the Champions League next term.
The way things are going at present though, there actually remains a possibility that even Thursday nights may not be filling the fixture list for United next season. Right now, they are free-falling towards their worst ever Premier League points return, with the best-case scenario now merely equalling the tally from the infamous 2013/14 season under David Moyes.
In all honesty, those relied upon to produce the goods on the pitch haven't shown anything much to suggest that the season will end with any manner of dignity, even with the added incentive of impressing prospective manager Erik ten Hag.
As has become a recurring theme, United appeared switched-off from the outset, almost with a sense of weariness contributing to a blunt, sluggish output. Old Trafford was reciprocatively subdued on the most-part, with a selection of seats left neglected in the opening stages of proceedings as supporters carried out more anti-Glazer demonstrations.
United failed to assert, or seemed to make no or at least minimal effort to assert, any authority on affairs, essentially enabling Chelsea a free rein of Old Trafford. The visiting side were consistently proving themselves as being a stride and frankly classes ahead of United on their home patch, which has diminished from its renowned status as a footballing fortress.
It was made remarkably easy for Chelsea to continually probe and create chances in their numbers, with United only bailed out by a poor level of conviction from their opposition. A combination of disorganisation fuelled by a lack of idea and an wholesale lack of intent was contributing in a plethora of space for Chelsea to attack into.
The dysfunctionality was particularly prevalent in midfield where, despite there being two holding players, Chelsea were often able to simply drift through gaps inexplicably left open. Gary Neville aptly described the United midfield as "red mannekins".
There was also an inability to grasp control of the ball across the pitch, with possessional phases so pedestrian that the ball wasn't shifted forward to Cristiano Ronaldo and, not for the first time, he was frequently having to drop into his own half.
In the meantime, Reece James was causing all sorts of issues for United from right wing-back - largely due to the lack of support handed to Alex Telles by Marcus Rashford on United's left flank. Rashford was, and has been, a prime encapsulation of United's attitudinal deficiencies, albeit likely due to a lack of confidence which is riddling the squad as a collective.
On the opposite side to James, Marcos Alonso was gaining less avail against Diogo Dalot due to Anthony Elanga's supportive work ethic. Problems mounted so much on Rashford's side that he was temporarily switched with 37 year-old Ronaldo, who showed superior willingness to track back, before Elanga was tasked with dealing with James's threat.
There was an air of paradox to Ralf Rangnick's widely-shared past comments about either being 'pregnant or not' as an analogy for the necessity to fully commit to pressing (or otherwise it fails). In United's case, there has been a clear display of semi-commitment in recent times, further evidencing ideas that players are either not buying into or are unable to comply with Rangnick's tactics.
On commentary duty for Sky Sports, Gary Neville detailed that he felt "embarrassed" and that United were setting "a really poor example".
It took until the hour mark for United to inevitably fall behind courtesy of their prolonged lack of any vigour or urgency. Elanga closed Cesar Azpilicueta down as nobody else took ownership, leaving James free to cross the ball as Telles failed to even make his presence known. Kai Havertz's header knocked the ball to Alonso on the far side of the box, who was lost by Dalot and was able to volley past David de Gea.
Despite having been an illusive force in attack, United managed to respond after only two minutes after some slack passing from Chelsea. Nemanja Matic was alert to a loose ball, lifting the ball above the opposing defence for Ronaldo to control and beat Edouard Mendy.
Ronaldo's influence was at the forefront again, with his performance well-rounded to the extent that he even made four ball recoveries. On the scoring front, he has scored eight of United’s last nine goals. Now, he is the second-top scorer in the Premier League this season with 17 goals and has amassed 23 goals in all competitions.
But from the equaliser, United again lacked the fortitude to build on their goal. Post-match, Roy Keane suitably made the point that the game had the feeling of "a testimonial" for its various reasons - ranging from the lethargic nature to Rangnick's choice of substitutions.
Whilst there were four reserve team players, who are prospects poised to play a substantial part in the future of United, on the bench amidst numerous senior absentees, Phil Jones and Juan Mata were introduced as Rangnick's main second half substitutes. There was a sense of sentimentality, with the pair both likely to depart the club in the summer thus with limited opportunities left to feature for United.
Alejandro Garnacho did make his debut but was restricted to a mere few minutes and no touches of the ball.
As it is, despite some influence from Mata especially, there wasn't enough to propel United to three points. The current form record now reads only four wins in 16 matches, with failure to win nine times in the last 11 outings.
The current beleaguerment is proving very difficult to be extricated from.
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