A double fist pump. Two thumbs up. A beaming grim.
That was Erik ten Hag as he ran down the Elland Road touchline in celebration following Alejandro Garnacho's goal against Leeds United on Sunday afternoon - a strike which put Manchester United two-up against their bitter old rivals.
There was clear relief behind the jubilation, with Ten Hag having had to endure his side struggling in a chaotic match in hostile West Yorkshire. Quickfire late goals offered reward to United for plugging away and holding firm.
It was evidence that, under Ten Hag's rule, there is always a way no matter how difficult circumstances may be.
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Ten Hag has had a transformative effect in many ways since his arrival as manager last summer - some of which has been achieved through the continuity gained by naming the same starting lineup on a frequent basis even amid fixture congestion.
During his time at Ajax, there were some concerns surrounding Ten Hag's reluctance to rotate his side. And that has been the case somewhat at United.
He refrained from changing too much even for a favourable FA Cup tie against Championship Reading recently, and he didn't particularly alter the lineup for a nigh-on dead rubber Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest either.
This has been to his credit, and it has helped to finish these games off so that key players could then be withdrawn and given a break. But there was always going to come a time when rotating to a somewhat greater degree would have to be the case to avoid excessive fatigue.
In the midst of a run as taxing as any this season, with two matches against Barcelona on the horizon, the weekend meeting against Leeds was deemed a viable time to switch up elements of the squad. As Ten Hag pointed out, United "are the only team in Europe playing in four competitions" still.
The main alterations came in defence, with Harry Maguire lining up alongside Luke Shaw at centre-back, with first-choice pair Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez both on the bench.
Both resting and tactics were part of Ten Hag's thinking, he said pre-match. And there were elements to the system that signified different tactical intent, for example Tyrell Malacia often tucking into midfield alongside Marcel Sabitzer and Fred.
Leeds often sat off Varane in the meeting on the Wednesday prior as they didn't view him as valuable in possession for United, so Maguire's inclusion was likely due to his perceived superior technical ability. However, while solid enough to guide United to a clean sheet, the club captain was uncharacteristically inaccurate and pedestrian in his passing at times.
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Much to Ten Hag's vexation, even though they avoided an early concession unlike the reverse meeting, United did lack some application given Leeds' fast, aggressive start, buoyed by their home crowd.
Too many moves broke down for United, with giveaways not allowing for the establishment of rhythm, and Ten Hag's seeming plans to improve build-up not executed particularly well.
Rotation was compounded by key absentees from the squad too, with Casemiro a certain miss again in midfield. United lacked control and a player able to dictate in his absence, evidencing that they need to reinforce the squad with an additional midfielder able to dictate play. Sabitzer is technically sound but not necessarily a massively dictating presence.
Sabitzer and Fred are each individually handy but slightly unbalanced as a pair. Both are industrious, but in a less measured manner than Casemiro, with that similarity meaning they don't compliment each exceptionally and matches can become more frantic.
Fred picking up a booking for a late challenge after only 20 minutes was an exemplification of United's lack of control and frequent inability to keep up with their opposition.
It sometimes felt that the more alternative side named by Ten Hag led to some players not playing to the strengths of others. The midfield was bypassed at times, which meant the technical ability that Sabitzer possesses was sometimes neglected and buildup was thus disrupted.
Antony was another impactful absentee, with Jadon Sancho - starting for the first time since October - sometimes lacking influence through no fault of his own due to a lack of supply and supporting runners due to players being more accustomed to playing alongside Antony. This caused some limbo as Rashford and Sancho switched flanks during the first half.
Wout Weghorst also suffered from adjustments to the personnel through an absence of supply. United often played in too much of a direct manner, leaving Weghorst anonymous and hindering chance creation. The odd chances that did come about, including a gifted one-on-one for Bruno Fernandes shortly before half-time, weren't executed.
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A change to the defensive structure, particularly on the left side, definitely impacted United in possession. While Tyrell Malacia stepped up to the mark at left-back, there were marked improvements in structure and progression when Martinez was introduced and Shaw moved to his more familiar full-back position.
United moved the ball quite slowly when they were able to sustain possession, but that did start to change somewhat as the match progressed. Again, this was testament to in-game changes made by Ten Hag - something he has proven as specialist at.
Shaw proved his adaptability with another assured display at centre-back - again quelling suggestions from some prior to this season that his defensive game isn't up to scratch. But it was Ten Hag's decision to switch Shaw to left-back around the hour mark that proved significant as he provided a fantastic cross to assist United's opening goal.
The buildup was initially patient before Sabitzer proved his passing ability with a switch of play. Shaw used his body effectively to shield the ball before delivering the cross, which was met by the head of Rashford, who guided the ball past Illan Meslier.
Rashford was never aerially strong as such, but Ten Hag and his staff, likely majorly the shrewdly-appointed Benni McCarthy, have proven transformative in this regard too. Rashford has now scored four headers this season, including in successive matches against Leeds after he kickstarted the fight-back last week after getting on the end of Diogo Dalot's cross.
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Ten Hag's decision-making was vindicated in a number of ways, and his innovative decision to move Rashford up front and shift Weghorst to a No.10 role was arguably the most crucial.
Rashford showed versatility and added dynamism to the front line, showing sprightly movement to get into the position to score the header. Meanwhile, the choice to drop Weghorst into a deeper role seemed strange, but it increased his involvement and allowed his link-up value to come into effect.
Two more of Ten Hag's decisions paid off as United doubled their advantage. Weghorst initially joined Fred in applying pressure to Weston McKennie, helping to dispossess the Leeds midfielder. He subsequently picked the ball up in a pocket in his new position and played a first-time pass to the run of substitute Garnacho.
Garnacho came under some unnecessary fire after missing opportunities in the previous meeting with Leeds, but Ten Hag righteously kept faith and found that justified as Garnacho produced a sensational first touch from Weghorst's pass, continued his run, and beat Meslier with a clinical finish off the near post.
United had the ball in the net two more times beyond those two late strikes as they ended with a flurry, although Rashford and Weghorst were both ruled offside after finishing from a ball in behind and scramble from a corner respectively.
It was a tough affair, but United again showed character to weather a persistent, intense Leeds storm that lasted for the majority of the encounter. It was highly important in ensuring United didn't descend into any sort of slump given failing to win would have meant United had only a single win across five league matches.
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It could be said United got away with one at Elland Road.
Their lack of depth was exposed by the changes made, with Ten Hag not yet at a stage where he feels comfortable rotating and most of the display on Sunday proving why there is such hesitance.
Comfort when it comes to rotating is something that may not be achieved until the summer. However, even when he was almost cornered into altering his side against Leeds, Ten Hag proved he is able to find ways to win matches when it hardly seems possible.
United haven't always been able to find solutions so effectively in recent years when struggling in matches. Under Ten Hag, they have proven this is now a possibility.
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