Sometimes, football and life just doesn’t make any sense.
Take yesterday when a Manchester United team, fresh off one of the most astonishing Champions League triumphs in history, welcomed back a string of first choice players for a clash against an Arsenal outfit who had just been humbled 3-1 by the team coming 10th in Ligue 1.
And they lost 2-0.
However, it could be argued the scoreline doesn't tell the full story of what was a first Premier League loss of the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era.
United had 54% of the ball, had one more shot on target (four) than their rivals and completed an additional 70 passes.
“We have to be disappointed with the result, but the performance was a good one,” Solskjaer said.
“We created miles more chances today than we did when we won here in the cup. The first goal always determines how the game will go but we created big chances, hit the woodwork twice and (Bernd) Leno played well.
“We shouldn’t be too disappointed but they’ve got three points and we haven’t.”
The likes of Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Anthony Martial all returned after missing the trip to Paris, but it didn’t add up to another victory.
United fell behind after just 12 minutes at the Emirates, as Granit Xhaka bamboozled goalkeeper David de Gea from distance.
The United shotstopper was then beaten from the spot by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to round out the result which shapes as a landmark one in the context of the increasingly tight race for the top four.
United now slip to fifth, two points behind the Gunners who trail Spurs by a further point. Worryingly for the Red Devils, they could quickly slip to sixth, with Chelsea just a point adrift with a game in hand.
Solskjaer labelled it the ‘lowest’ point of his tenure at Old Trafford, but with eight matches still to play in the campaign, there’s plenty of time to turn things around.
A top four finish is ultimately the number one prize for United after what can only be described as a tumultuous season following an appalling start to the campaign under Jose Mourinho .
But in the long term, England’s most successful club will be eyeing off a return to the summit of the ladder - currently a two-horse race between their two biggest rivals Liverpool and Manchester City .
And according to club legend Gary Neville , Solskjaer will need to spend big to achieve that lofty ambition report Fox Sports.
“Ole’s doing an incredible job, but he needs to set the foundations and the rules with the guy he’s speaking to for his job now,” Neville said on Sky Sports .
“He needs £200m-£250m. They still need three defenders, they still need a midfielder, they still need a striker. They need five players - that’s going to cost £250m for the quality Manchester United needs.”
“Manchester United’s target is to catch Manchester City and Liverpool - not sit there in fourth place with Arsenal and Tottenham. My view is, there is still a lot of work to do and he’s now got to be tough. The only way you can be tough in the job is on your way in - once you’re there, they’ve got you.”
Next up, United take on Wolves in the FA Cup quarter-finals, before a string of winnable match-ups in the league. However, the matches that could make the difference in the run home are back-to-back clashes with league leaders City and top four rivals Chelsea.
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The Red Devils take on both within the space of four days - in a patch that could decide whether they’re headed back to the Champions League next year, or rather to the far less glamorous Europa League .
This loss is a blow for their chances, but this race still has plenty of time to run.
