"I was so disappointed and mad on Sunday because we didn't fight," Erik ten Hag said in relation to his side's defeat away to Aston Villa last weekend.
Fortunately for Manchester United, they were to face Villa again only four days later - this time in the Carabao Cup third round.
However, in the penultimate match before the mid-season break at the climax of a congested period inflicting by the timing of the World Cup in Qatar, it was natural that changes would be made and the sides would line up noticeably differently.
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Ten Hag and Unai Emery each made seven alterations and, likely as a direct consequence, the first half was one of the biggest non-entities you will get in football.
Neither side established a rhythm nor imposed themselves, with United's build-up particularly fragmented amid the omission of the likes of Lisandro Martinez and Christian Eriksen in advance of the final round of pre-World Cup Premier League fixtures this weekend.
The game-plan devised by Ten Hag, which was centred around attempting to exploit Villa's high defensive plan, was logical yet somewhat counter-intuitive in the absence of some of the most technically astute players.
Scott McTominay and Fred - situated at the base of midfield and tasked with supplying through balls to the likes of Rashford and Anthony Martial - were often too slow in playing forward passes. Combine this with some mistimed runs, and United found themselves caught offside six times in the opening period.
Donny van de Beek, who started for the third match in succession, was again nondescript in terms of his impact from the No.10 position, with absentees pushing Bruno Fernandes out to the right flank where his impact is reduced.
Adding to United's struggles in terms of progressing the ball, Van de Beek's mere 11 first half touches marked a lower tally than debutant goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, who touched the ball 16 times. Majorly as a result of this, supply to Martial was limited and he managed only 15 touches of the ball in a half where frequent turnovers prevented any consistent creation.
The approach was positive from United but the execution was largely poor, meaning they were unable to capitalise on Villa failing to assert themselves to an even greater extent.
Something that won't have quelled Ten Hag's frustration was that moves often broke down before shots were even taken; United only managed three shots (one more than Villa) before the break, including a single effort on target.
The trade-off of rotation was evident in a stark manner, with freshness enhanced yet quality somewhat diminished given still-apparent shortages in terms of depth.
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Just over two minutes into the second half, United paid for their slackness and fell behind. Their midfield was bypassed and caught backpedalling as a legacy of being far too open in defensive transition following yet another turnover. Jacob Ramsey was the player able to cut through and play Ollie Watkins in on goal, with a composed dinked finish over Dubravka delivered after Watkins found himself a step ahead of Harry Maguire and Diogo Dalot.
Ten Hag would have been extremely unhappy regarding the manner of the concession, compounding his levels of irritation following the result only four days prior. But only a matter of seconds after the restart, he will have been lamenting his side to a lesser extent.
A span of 19 seconds after kicking off again will have gone some distance to eradicating Ten Hag's anger at the perceived lack of fight shown in the 3-1 loss at Villa Park. The response to the adversity of going behind was almost as instantaneous as it could have been.
Their persistence was exemplified by a ball in behind finally coming to fruition as Dalot's ball into the right channel met Fernandes' run. Martial then displayed intent to burst forward in support of Fernandes, receiving a square pass and finishing first-time to score as a reward for his restored endeavour - something that has not always been an asset of Martial's.
Also suggesting Martial is "definitely" his main striker, Ten Hag was full of praise, saying: "Quite clear, in my way of playing I like the type Antony Martial is because he can hold the ball, so he is a target, he can link up, but he can also run behind, he has speed, he can finish, and he has good pressure."
It wasn't all positive for United from Martial's equaliser, however. They fell behind again just beyond the hour mark, once again after finding space in their midfield exploited in the first instance. With Tyrell Malacia not having tracked back, Ashley Young was able to overload Victor Lindelof with the help of Ollie Watkins, with Lindelof and McTominay failing to apply pressure.
Young delivered an accurate cross to Leon Bailey at the far post having almost ambled into the penalty area, with the back post header from Bailey ultimately turned past Dubravka by Dalot for an own goal.
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After a flat first half from both sides, it was a frenetic second half. Within a 12-minute period just over 15 minutes after the juncture, United found themselves trailing, drawing level, and falling behind again.
Another response was needed, and such a response did come only six minutes after the second concession. And, yet again, it was a goal which almost seemed to embody United's newfound resilience.
Rashford showed commitment to win a header after Malacia's lofted forward ball, then showing his renewed determination to sprint to meet a loose ball following an intervention from Young. This desire, which was often not apparent last term, was crucial as he evaded two tackles inside the penalty area, skipping past Tyrone Mings and Calum Chambers, neglecting to go down in search of a penalty and instead finishing with conviction.
It was a goal that offered a measure for United's bounce-back ability on a number of levels. Rashford's work towards scoring epitomised his return to prominence and encapsulated his re-found enthusiasm, while United levelling affairs for the second time displayed the improvements in mentality being engineered by Ten Hag.
Substitutions offered a boost too. Christian Eriksen's introduction as part of a triple change after Villa retook the lead helped United to establish some poise; the Dane completed 100 per cent of his passes after coming on, creating five chances across that period. The game flowed much better after his inclusion.
The aforementioned triple change also constituted of Anthony Elanga and Alejandro Garnacho replacing a continually ineffective Van de Beek and not yet fully fit Martial.
Of those introduced, Garnacho was unquestionably the most impactful. He displayed directness in his approach again, with the fearlessness that he exudes inflicting fear on opposing defenders.
It was Garnacho that was alert to pounce on a loose pass from Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen under duress from Rashford, with Garnacho subsequently displaying maturity to not panic, instead playing a first-time pass into the penalty box to Fernandes. A considerable deflection off Mings took a composed effort from Fernandes past Olsen.
Garnacho's involvement wasn't done there. Indications that his game is becoming more and more complete by the match were evidenced by expert vision and execution of a cross from deep, picking out McTominay's run into the penalty area. The delivery was pinpoint, straight into the path of McTominay for him to finish on the stretch.
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United's celebrations didn't match those of a side taking the League Cup lightly - they are aware of the necessity to end this present silverware drought at the club. And, with three of the other traditional 'big six' English sides out of the competition, plus Manchester City and Liverpool to face one another in the round of 16, it seems as good a chance as any for United to win a trophy after a long five seasons without doing so.
Their second half showing, which had many more dimensions to it than the opening 45 minutes, was evidence of their commitment to a competition often looked upon as being slightly worthless by some. United's eventual 19 shots compared to five from their opposition emphasises the relentless nature that they exhibited having established a groove.
A tie against Championship leaders Burnley in the next round can't be taken lightly but is better than facing one of the nine other remaining Premier League sides and opens up further avenues of opportunity.
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