Manchester United’s Champions League bid has been left in tatters, but plenty was on show to prove their Premier League title-winning credentials remain.
Master-motivator Sir Alex Ferguson will have to be at his most inspirational as he picks his troops off the floor after falling to Bayern Munich on away goals.
Thankfully for the Scot, there were plenty of positives to take to Ewood Park for the meeting with Blackburn Rovers after a week to forget. Memories of the meek displays in Germany and the league summit meeting with Chelsea were blown away by the kind of attacking play too often absent this season.
Rather than the obituary for the Red Devils’ season, the mid-week match should signal the start of a new approach. A fourth consecutive league trophy can still reside in the Old Trafford cabinet.
In full flight, his side are more than a match for any team in the sport – even Barcelona would have struggled to keep pace so impressive was United’s burst. Any thoughts of meeting the Catalonians must be put on the backburner, though a tinge of regret is palpable that this standard hasn’t been the norm.
The main factor in the push was the injection of youth that saw the Red Devils 2-0 up after eight minutes against Bayern on Wednesday. In defeat four days previously to Chelsea the average of the team was 30.9 - this fell to 26.5 against Bayern.
Rafael da Silva, before naivety got the better of him, put in a world class right back performance, while Darron Gibson, Nani and Antonio Valencia all played a pivotal role.
Nani, in particular, has emerged as the unlikely figure that could dictate United’s domestic destiny. Something has finally clicked, and frustration has turned in to inspiration.
A year ago, United finished strongly and won four out of their last five league games to edge Liverpool.
This is the minimum they must aim for now to beat the Blues. Darren Fletcher confirmed this target: "We've got to show the performance level we produced in the first half against Bayern in the five remaining games. There's no Champions League or midweek matches now - so we have just five league contests to concentrate on."
United must not wallow in European defeat for their remaining fixtures. The Champions League had become the tournament the club has been judged by in recent seasons.
Nothing would help them get over the failure more than claiming a record 19th league title and usurping bitter rivals Liverpool in the process. Just two points behind Chelsea in the table, history awaits the Red Devils.
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