Erik ten Hag gives little away watching Manchester United lose

Erik ten Hag stared stoically whenever the camera switched to him in the stands and he will need to perfect that expression for when he is standing on the touchline.

Manchester United avoided relegation to the Conference, which almost gives the denouement to their season a triumphant air. It was so chastening their supporters were more fixated on their phones, doubtless checking the scores at Anfield and the Etihad.

They started cheering upon news City had recovered from 2-0 down to go 3-2 up against Aston Villa, thus safeguarding the Treble amid the threat of a Liverpool quadruple.

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"You Scouse b------s," the United away-dayers chanted repeatedly, before breaking into a chorus of '20 times, Man United'. On a day United and City sported worker bees on their kits on the fifth anniversary of the Manchester Arena attack, Manchester was united.

Ten Hag daren't break into a smile even for the selfie-takers he politely posed for at the interval. The only outfield United player who performed in London was 13 miles away at Arsenal, where Ten Hag's compatriot Donny van de Beek scored on his last appearance on loan at Everton.

Ten Hag was sitting next to John Murtough and in the row behind a member of the club's communications staff in the first-half and his assistants Mitchell van der Gaag and Steve McClaren for the second. At half-time, Ten Hag exchanged a brief glance with the chief executive Richard Arnold as he made his way down the gangway to the directors' lounge.

Arnold, hunched over, clapped optimistically in the second-half shortly after Brighton equalised against West Ham to bump United back up to sixth. Brighton beat West Ham. As full-time loomed, he could be seen