Viral fan, The United Strand, will need to wait longer - possibly a lot longer - after Manchester United failed to beat West Ham on Tuesday night.
Frank Ilett was the name on everyone’s lips throughout the 90 minutes at the London Stadium. Another United victory would have meant five wins on the bounce for Michael Carrick’s side - and a much-needed haircut for the hairy supporter.
But despite securing wins over Manchester City, Arsenal, Fulham and Tottenham, United could only manage a 1-1 draw against relegation-threatened West Ham. The Hammers defended well in a low block throughout and took the lead early in the second half through Tomas Soucek.
West Ham were on course to secure a victory that would have left them level on points with 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, but a stunning finish from Benjamin Sesko deep in stoppage time denied the hosts a potentially priceless win.
On the other hand, the point keeps Manchester United fourth in the Premier League table, one clear of fifth-placed Chelsea.
The United Strand live-streamed his reactions throughout the match. Closing in on 500 days since starting his challenge of refusing to cut his hair until Manchester United win five games in a row, the 29-year-old, who now boasts a whopping 1.4 million followers on Instagram alone, looked crestfallen at the final whistle.
"It was a strange game,” he said after the match. “Heartbroken. This was the moment."
Michael Carrick Related
When Every Premier League Club Last Won 5 Games in a Row As Man Utd Fan Goes Viral
A Man Utd fan has gone viral in recent times for not cutting his hair until his favourite team win five consecutive matches.
Man City and Bayern Munich Post Cheeky Tweets
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick
Manchester United manager Michael Carrick
Several X (Twitter) accounts connected to some major European clubs couldn’t resist a cheeky post after it was confirmed The United Strand now finds himself back to square one in his quest for a haircut. Manchester City’s official US Twitter account, for example, posted a photo of Erling Haaland with his hair down alongside the caption: “Nothing wrong with growing out your hair.”
And Bayern Munich’s official English Twitter account wrote: "There's still time to become an FC Bayern fan,” alongside an emoji of a person getting their haircut.
Explaining why he started the challenge, Ilett - who had more than 100,000 people watching his YouTube live stream at times on Tuesday night - told BBC Sport: "I just want to bring some joy to other Manchester United fans in this kind of weird time at the club.”
He added: “I thought it would be over in three or four months. It was meant to be a laugh, and then that would be it. But it hasn't quite worked out like that."
Out of the FA Cup, Carabao Cup, and not competing in any European competitions this season, Manchester United now have almost a two-week break before their next fixture against Everton on February 23.
The earliest point The United Stand can now get a haircut is March 20, following games against Everton, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Bournemouth.