Omonia Nicosia seemed to clear the danger from Christian Eriksen's free-kick on Thursday night. The ball travelled to Jadon Sancho on the edge of the box and he decided to turn back before passing to Tyrell Malacia, who was the last man at the halfway line.
Malacia's touch was heavy, he crumbled under pressure and conceded possession to Omonia for a counter-attack. Malacia, Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, Diogo Dalot and Casemiro sprinted back in an effort to make amends but their running would be in vain.
Omonia might only be fourth in the Cypriot first division, but few sides competing in European competition would waste such an opportunity, which meant David de Gea was helpless as 32-year-old Karim Ansarifard fired into the roof of the net.
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Erik ten Hag invited the players to criticise each other in a dressing room inquest following the Manchester derby on Monday and similar words would have been said at half-time in Cyrpus. The match had the potential to be yet another brutal low.
United were losing at half-time at the GSP Stadium and that was embarrassing - it's not exactly the Bernabeu. Ten Hag substituted Malacia and Sancho for Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford during the break and it was certainly not hard to see why.
Malacia was hooked at half-time at the Etihad and he dealt with the same humiliation again in Cyrpus. He was at fault for Omonia's goal and he was far from convincing, failing to vindicate Ten Hag's admirable faith which ensured his starting position. Shaw was competent when he entered the pitch, offering more going forward, and he must start at Goodison Park on Sunday.
Regarding Sancho, he was pedestrian again, just like he was against City. He was ineffective and failed to give Omonia something to think about on his wing, while Ten Hag might have also noticed the cardinal sin he committed for the first goal.
After Malacia was dispossessed, Sancho dropped his head, looked to the ground and proceeded to jog back to defend, whereas his teammates around him sprinted. Casemiro started behind Sancho when Malacia lost the ball and he still outran him.
Liverpool and City have dominated the Premier League because of their talent, but Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola also demand a relentless work ethic from their players, which enables their teams to press and win possession high up the pitch.
Mohamed Salah received praise last month for sprinting back when Liverpool lost possession at Anfield. It was doubted that certain players at Old Trafford would show the same desire and Sancho shamefully confirmed that suspicion against Omonia.
Sancho provided minimal attacking threat against Omonia and his reaction to Malacia losing possession might have contributed to Ten Hag's decision to substitute him, which Rashford proved was the correct call by immediately scoring.
The 22-year-old showed during his successful time with Borussia Dortmund that he is supremely talented, but that player still hasn't arrived in Manchester, almost 18 months after he signed for the club for £72.9million in the summer of 2021.
Sancho is currently in danger of being considered a multi-million pound flop. He contributed just five goals and three assists last season and his glimpses of quality have been few and far between, while his inability to take a full-back on has become concerning.
There can be no more excuses for Sancho in this campaign, as the player suggested himself in the summer. "It’s my second year now, settling into the team, knowing how players play and I’m excited for the upcoming season," he said.
"This is my first pre-season with United because, last year, I had an infection in my ear so I couldn’t do the whole pre-season with the team which was a bit annoying at the time and [meant] a lack of fitness and understanding of how the players play.
"But now, this season, I feel a lot more comfortable and, especially scoring in pre-season, it is a confidence boost for myself."
Although there were genuine mitigating factors to explain Sancho's poor form last season, he no longer has those excuses and it's time for him to deliver on the pitch. United fans are beginning to grow impatient with Sancho and that's understandable.
Sancho should be dropped to the bench on Sunday and he will have to earn his position back.
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