Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes couldn't rescue United in the Europa League final
Manchester United's dismal season reached a new nadir as they were beaten 1-0 by Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final in Bilbao.
Ruben Amorim's side turned in a woeful performance at San Mames in what was their biggest game of the season and never threatened to get back in the contest after Brennan Johnson's scrappy opener at the end of the first-half.
Rasmus Hojlund came closest to equalising when his header was spectacularly cleared off the line by Micky van de Ven but United lacked quality and creativity yet again and were beaten by Spurs for the fourth time this season.
It means their woeful campaign can't be saved by a trophy and Champions League qualification, and the curtain will come down on their worst season in more than 50 years at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Fernandes runs out of fuel
This was Bruno Fernandes' 199th game for club and country in the past three seasons, so any criticism of his performance should be tempered by an understanding of his ludicrous workload, not to mention the fact that he has bailed out this team so often.
If anything, the fact they rely so heavily on their captain and talisman only adds to the pressure. Almost every time, Fernandes rises to the occasion, but in Bilbao he just ran out of steam.
His passing was wayward, including for the goal, and too often he got balls wrong as United tried to build some pressure. Maybe he was trying too hard, but this was a day when relatively simple passes went astray. With Fernandes, it is usually the ambitious, defence-splitting passes that don't always come off.
Given the lack of goals in this time, it is Fernandes who normally needs to deliver. He had one half-chance, from Noussair Mazraoui's cross with 20 minutes to go, but couldn't steer a difficult header on target when he might have been better going for a volley.
With the 30-year-old having an off day, it significantly reduced United's chances of winning this final. Amad was the only other game-changing, match-winning player in the starting XI and although he had a better game than Fernandes, he couldn't find the moment of magic.
It was further evidence that United need more players capable of breaking a lock in this team. They controlled territory and possession in the second half, but it was predictable and didn't produce enough chances. It's why the pursuit of a maverick such as Matheus Cunha makes sense.
Casemiro drifts out of it
The pre-match pageantry inside San Mames, the noise from both sets of fans, the scenes on the way to the ground would have rammed home the message to players that this wasn't just another match. There was no escaping from the reality that this was win or bust for both teams.
Two relatively young squads could have been forgiven for feeling the nerves and just wanting the football to start, so it was vital the experienced heads tried to set the tone early. In the United squad, they don't get much more experienced than Casemiro.
This was the Brazilian's first Europa League final, but he is a five-time Champions League winner with 83 appearances to his name in that competition and he stamped his class on this contest early on, with some crisp tackles, good interceptions and forward passing.
But he struggled to maintain those levels and was on the end of a fierce rollicking from Amorim around the hour mark as the game got ragged.
A goal fitting for this final
After a manic opening the game had settled into what you would expect between the two Premier League teams who had hovered about the trapdoor marked 'Championship' this season. It was low on quality and got a goal that was fitting of its status.
Fernandes gave the ball away in midfield and United didn't do enough to stop the cross coming in and it got worse from there. On initial viewing, Luke Shaw looked most culpable, but the replays show he was marking the attacker in front of him, who was Dominic Solanke.
Shaw does spot the danger that Brennan Johnson possesses and points to Patrick Dorgu to mark him. Dorgu has nobody else to worry about and steps towards Johnson, but when the winger makes a run on to Shaw's shoulder he doesn't respond and doesn't try to block him.
Shaw, who had a poor first half, could have reacted quicker, and Johnson still manages to miss his shot, with the ball bouncing up to hit the United defender on the arm. It was soft, sloppy and befitting of the game.
Garnacho's lonely walk
The first clue that Alejandro Garnacho might find himself on the bench in Bilbao came around six hours before kick-off, when he posted pictures on his Instagram story of him scoring and celebrating in last season's FA Cup final.
That might not have been designed to get everyone in the mood, but as a reminder of the crucial role he played at Wembley to the head coach who had just dropped him, despite starting all six knockout round ties until this point.
Garnacho will have been disappointed by the decision, and his walk onto the pitch not long after the squad arrived was another glimpse into his own mindset. The only other United player out there was the injured Matthijs de Ligt.
Even after De Ligt had gone back inside, along with coaches Andreas Georgson and Darren Fletcher, Garnacho remained on the pitch, chatting to former United loanee Sergio Reguilon.
Ratcliffe and Glazers are cordial
Not long after the United squad had arrived at San Mames there was the sight of the lesser-spotted Glazers on the touchline. Avram and Joel were in town for a big game and they were stood chatting to Sir Jim Ratcliffe near the tunnel.
Imagine being able to ear-wig that conversation. Ratcliffe has previously said that the Glazers pretty much give Ineos free rein to run the club and they are absent landlords at Old Trafford.
They do have a habit of crawling out of the woodwork for big games however and had been spotted in the team hotel on Tuesday. Sure enough, they were next to Ratcliffe here.