A hearty dose of déjà vu was in store for Leeds United on Sunday afternoon as another of the so-called 'Big Six' arrived at Elland Road and left with all three points.
As well-endowed teams have done so effectively this season, a particular tactic of Manchester United's exposed weaknesses in Marcelo Bielsa's man-marking structure.
The gallivanting forward runs of Victor Lindelof tore at the fabric of Leeds' man-to-man system, creating numerical advantages in dangerous areas.
His burst into midfield for Man United's second goal, coupled with Cristiano Ronaldo's decision to drop off, meant Diego Llorente vacated space at centre-half by following the Portuguese, allowing Bruno Fernandes to drift into the position from which he eventually scored.
Joel Matip did something very similar in Liverpool's 3-0 win at Elland Road earlier this season, to equally damaging effect.
It is a facet of play among top Premier League sides that Leeds have struggled to contend with since returning to the top flight.
Sheffield United's innovative overlapping central defenders under Chris Wilder also posed similar issues for the Whites defence.
Lindelof's forays out of the back line were not always tracked and as a consequence, Leeds were slow to react, allowing the Swede to saunter into unguarded space.
This progressed Manchester United's more patient attacks, as well as speeding up the Red Devils' countering.
Headed into this week, Leeds will face Liverpool once again, and potentially Joel Matip.
The Cameroonian defender played 90 minutes in the Reds' most recent fixture: a 3-1 win over Norwich City at Anfield.
Learning from the mistakes of their Manchester United defeat, Leeds can attempt to nullify one element of Liverpool's early phase build-up play by being wise to Matip's wandering on the ball.
Failure to devise a solution and there may be similar consequences for the Whites' defence, and unwanted questions over the suitability of Bielsa's man-marking structure against elite sides.
Liverpool host Leeds at Anfield on Wednesday 23 February. Kick-off is at 7:45pm.
