At last, a setback for Michael Carrick at Manchester United. It was always going to come, although few would have predicted that West Ham United would prove to be the stumbling block.
Indeed, having seen off the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur amid their recent four-game winning run, a meeting with a relegation-threatened Hammers side appeared a far more appealing prospect.
Carrick-Man-Utd-West-Ham
And yet, as this United have shown over an extended period now, they never do things the easy way, left relying on a Benjamin Sesko flick to rescue a point, following Tomas Soucek's opener early in the second-half.
In the grand scheme of things, Tuesday's result does not appear too damaging, following Chelsea's own woes at home to Leeds, although it is the first blot on the copybook for Carrick and his coaching staff.
A third game in a row with an unchanged team seemingly backfired, with far too many of the visiting outfit looking off the pace in what was a largely lifeless showing, not least from the typically influential, Bruno Fernandes.
Bruno Fernandes' display in numbers vs West Ham
Fans and pundits alike have been waxing lyrical over Fernandes' displays this season, and rightly so, with Saturday's performance against Spurs only reinforcing the opinion that the Portugal star is currently the "best player in the league" right now.
Bruno-Fernandes-stats-timeless
A man with 12 Premier League assists under his belt in 2025/26 has typically been United's talisman this season, although that quality was distinctly lacking this time around, following another difficult trip to the London Stadium.
Indeed, for the fourth meeting in a row away in Stratford, the Red Devils failed to win, with the away side's woes epitomised by the uncharacteristically shoddy showing from their skipper.
Nothing, in truth, seemed to go right for Carrick's men in the final third, prior to Sesko's last-gasp equaliser, with Fernandes providing four key passes, albeit while never truly unlocking the door of a stubborn West Ham defence.
Statistically, there was nothing too errant about his performance, having only lost the ball 14 times - below his season average of 15.7 - with that perhaps a sign of his inability to try and make things happen, with the hosts suffocating the midfield area.
Wes-Ham-Man-Utd-Fernandes
For once, United's hero came from another source in the form of Sesko, with Fernandes - who didn't register a single shot or dribble - enduring a rare off day in that number ten berth.
It must be said, of course, that the 31-year-old wasn't alone in appearing underpar, with far too many of his teammates enduring a similar fate.
Carrick must boldly bench 5/10 Man Utd star after West Ham
Finding negatives has been a difficult task with this United side in recent weeks. Not on Tuesday.
There was the forgettable showing of makeshift striker Matheus Cunha. There was the frustrating cameo of Joshua Zirkzee. There were error-prone performances from the full-back duo of Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw, the latter of whom was culpable for the Hammers' opener.
And yet, one of the bigger disappointments might well have been Bryan Mbeumo's outing off the left, with there certainly justification for replacing him with Sesko for the meeting with Everton next time around.
Bryan-Mbeumo-Man-Utd-West-Ham (2)
Now, that may appear a bold call considering the Cameroonian is the club's top scorer this season, not least having also provided the assist for the Slovenian at the death with an inswinging cross.
That said, the 26-year-old's overall performance, like against Spurs last time out, was not up to scratch, failing to register a single successful dribble, while losing four of his five ground duels on the night.
Mbeumo - vs West Ham & Spurs
Stat
Minutes
Touches
Goals
Assists
Big chances created
Key passes
Pass accuracy
Total duels won
Dribbles
Ball lost
Like many of his colleagues, Mbeumo was also far too wasteful on the ball, losing the ball every 4.2 touches on average.
That included a second-half counter-attack being squandered by a heavy touch just inside the West Ham half, with United having had players swarming forward either side of the ex-Brentford man.
Whether it is merely a case of fatigue or not, the £71m signing just hasn't looked quite right of late, even while netting at the weekend, with Sesko's introduction again providing that much-needed injection of pace and power through the middle.
Tuesday's first-half showing, in particular, should have shown Carrick that this strikerless system no longer has legs, especially in games his side are likely to dominate, with Sesko deserving of a chance to nail down a starting berth himself.
The aforementioned Cunha, undoubtedly, could see his place under threat too, although the Brazilian appears the only viable senior option remaining for that left flank, while Amad's industry and relentlessness has been so crucial off the right.
Bryan Mbeumo goals per season (timeless)
It is Mbeumo then - handed a 5/10 match rating by the MEN's Tyrone Marshall - who could well be the casualty for the clash with Everton later this month, with the attacking set-up not quite clicking into gear at present.
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