After 9,941 days, the wait is over for Aston Villa. Manchester United's Adidas white kit will not gain the notoriety of the funereal Umbro grey of 1995 but it is the attire they donned for a first league defeat at Villa Park since August 1995.
United's 23-game unbeaten league run at Villa, their home from home since the evocative 1983 FA Cup semi-final, ended lifelessly. This was Villa's first victory over United in Birmingham since 1999, ending a seemingly neverending run of 24 winless matches.
The scoreline was exactly the same as on the opening day in 1995, when United's 'kids' who were written off by Alan Hansen on Match of the Day. United ended that season with a second domestic double. The closest they will get this season is in the cups and Villa visit Old Trafford on Thursday.
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Villa had led United nine times since their previous triumph over United in '99 only to not win at Villa Park. The only hope for United that this would be the 10th came in a misleading late first-half onslaught.
Jacob Ramsey's own goal convinced Ten Hag to entrust the starters who welcomed Unai Emery more warmly than the Villa supporters. Ten Hag was still reeling enough to march into the centre circle and provide some last-minute pointers for Cristiano Ronaldo, Casemiro and Christian Eriksen as Villa's players re-emerged.
Ten Hag's trust was misplaced. Within nine seconds, Leon Bailey had scythed through the United defence again to test David de Gea. Four minutes later, Ramsey scored in the same goal but for the right side.
Emery's English is advanced enough to understand "give us a wave" and he duly did. Emiliano Martinez bounced the ball on his head like a performing seal, prolonging his antipathy with the United supporters he chided after Bruno Fernandes's airborne penalty last season. He may have been thrown by the chants of 'Argentina' for his compatriot and namesake Lisandro.
Ten Hag had spoken briefly to Anthony Martial as he approached the tunnel at the interval shrill yet Martial was only ordered to warm-up again once Villa regained their two-goal cushion.
It is uncharacteristic of Ten Hag to be indecisive with his changes and he was too lenient. He has had a sobering week regarding game-management, so harmless were his changes in San Sebastian, and there can be no defence for his retention of Donny van de Beek.
Van de Beek does not work. Marcus Rashford on the right never works. Ronaldo up front hasn't this season. It was perverse Ten Hag waited more than an hour, with United 3-1 down, to make a personnel or tactical change when in San Sebastian United started shape-shifting in the 58th minute with only a goal required.
"He's gonna cry in a minute," crowed the Holte End as Ronaldo vainly appealed for a corner. The United supporters, who had been defiant and supportive for over an hour, quietened in the dying embers, the away end pockmarked by claret and blue seats before six minutes of added time was announced.
Van de Beek was, eventually, among the trio of players eventually replaced in the 65th minute on what was his first meaningful Premier League start for United in 701 days. United would have as similar a wait as Villa for a home win against them to get a tune out of Van de Beek.
A more damaging selection was Victor Lindelof, his vulnerability to speed and strength preyed on by Villa. More than once, the combative Lisandro Martinez covered for Lindelof and it was only United's Argentines - the other the full league debutant Alejandro Garnacho - who emerged from the wreckage with some credit.
Ronaldo discarded the armband after half-hour as if it was too stifling. It did little for his finishing, still profligate when he met a cross seconds after Martinez repelled Garnacho's drive. United cannot carry Ronaldo after the World Cup ends.
The United supporters were audibly exasperated with a lack of adventure from Van de Beek and Luke Shaw, the latter salvaging a chastening half by deflating Villa through a deflection off Jacob Ramsey.
If United's reluctance to press the goalkeeping Martinez at 0-0 seemed minor at the time it became major once Lucas Digne swung his left boot at a dead ball to make it 2-0 after 11 minutes.
Van de Beek, an incongruous inclusion, inexplicably retreated from the edge of Martinez's area. Other teammates were similarly reluctant to engage Martinez. United underestimated how energised Villa were bound to be by Emery's appointment.
Bailey, once scouted by United, ran rings around them in pre-season in Perth to herald a second-half Villa fightback and he was on the front foot again, this time in the first-half. Lindelof was lured out of the backline like a moth to the flame and Bailey outpaced the covering Lisandro Martinez, uncomfortable on the right-hand side and outpaced by the clinical Bailey.
United had their nine lives. There would not be a tenth.
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