Cristiano Ronaldo responds to what Manchester United teammates did after Chelsea scored

Manchester United best get used to Thursday nights. Champions League qualification is still mathematically possible but fourth is impossible with this squad and manager.

Especially as it seems the interim has followed several players and mentally checked out. The flawed experiment with Ralf Rangnick is not over and he is expected to accept the offer to coach the Austria national team. Little wonder United held their pre-match press conference against Brentford on Monday on Thursday night, with Rangnick possibly booked on a flight to Vienna on Friday morning.

The staff, the players and the supporters at United are gripped by apathy and a draw was an apposite result to reflect that. Cristiano Ronaldo briefly shook them out of it in what was their 10th draw of the league season.

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Briefly, the crowd was stirred in added time when Victor Lindelof met Alex Telles's inswinger, yet his header was miscued. Still, United avoided defeat, there was appreciative applause at the final shrill and none of the players were told to 'f--k off' repeatedly as was the case against Norwich two weeks earlier.

Quite how the United decision-makers expected a temporary choice to rouse underachieving players is anyone's guess. United have three more games across three torturous weeks, with a 15-day gap between the penultimate and final fixtures, and next to nothing riding on the run-in.

A De Gea goal kick aiming for Marcus Rashford found row A. On the opposite side, Anthony Elanga's shoulders slumped on the opposite side. Chelsea, like Norwich, will rue not leaving with three points.

United fans could have been forgiven for wondering what the year was when Juan Mata and Phil