Manchester United finally dropped points after two successive wins, and scraped a draw against Newcastle United at Old Trafford.
The club may feel that seven points from nine is pretty decent at the minute, but there are clearly lingering issues that Louis van Gaal needs to address.
It hasn’t been the best of weeks for the club, and seeing Pedro shine for Chelsea, while their own forwards faltered might just have made it worse.
LVG is a stubborn manager, and thinks it is his way or the highway, but his side are far from perfect, and here are four of the lessons they taught us this weekend.
They need a forward
United may not have wanted Pedro, but they need an out and out forward. Badly.
Rooney’s form is leaving a lot to be desired, James Wilson is so young, and Javier Hernandez misses more than he scores.
The club have been linked with so many players this summer, and haven’t signed enough of them. The ones they have signed, like Bastain Schweinsteiger, still have questions over their fitness and in the German’s case, ability to start games at the minute.
United simply have to land a forward. That is the be all and end all, because otherwise, they can kiss their title challenge goodbye.
Wayne Rooney is bang out of form
What to do with a problem like Wayne Rooney? That is the question facing LVG at the minute, with the England forward looking woeful and devoid of confidence.
Last season, United fans wanted Rooney played as their main man up top. This season, he is their only man up top.
The issue is that he does not look capable of making two passes, let alone scoring two goals.
He is not good enough at the minute, and will not be able to drag United into the latter stages of the Champions League and a title challenge alone.
Bringing in another forward would take the pressure off Rooney somewhat and allow him to play as a number ten.
LVG is cutting his nose off to spite his face
Reports in the press will now tell you that Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has no relationship with David De Gea. Or Victor Valdes.
Now how far that, and indeed his treatment of Ander Herrera, has actually gone in convincing Pedro to sign for Chelsea and not United remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure. A manager cannot alienate key members of his squad and expect it to all be ok.
His behaviour towards Valdes is one thing, but the way he has claimed De Gea is not mentally fit to play, when the Spaniard is clearly willing to start for the club speaks volumes.
Sergio Romero may have kept three clean sheets, but he is an accident waiting to happen, and if United really are determined to keep DDG, they may as well play him.
Making him rot on the bench for a season and then losing him on a free leaves the Red Devils the massive losers, and LVG should be adult enough to recognise this.
Memphis Depay is not Ronaldo yet
In fact, he is nowhere near the levels of the Real Madrid star.
One good performance in the middle of the week against what would be a Championship side does not mean he will be United’s saving grace this season.
The club need far more going forward, and while Depay certainly has the confidence and ability to one day be a great player, to compare him to David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo at the minute is premature at best.
