Eric Ramsay looked visibly frustrated as he observed his monitor in the Manchester United dugout at Brentford on Wednesday night.
It was only a matter of minutes into the match when the set-piece specialist, signed last summer from Chelsea, was frantically rewinding footage of long throws into the box in an attempt to thwart the threat.
The pressure continued to build, but United, through a combination of fortune, fluffed finishes and the fantastic David de Gea managed to weather the storm until half-time to improbably head inside still level.
United went in relieved during the break at the Brentford Community Stadium, well aware they needed to improve. It wouldn't take long before they managed to respond in style.
Three goals from three academy graduates secured the three points, but despite the impressive second-half showing, United would be dealt a blow when Ivan Toney scrambled home a late consolation goal.
Having managed to quell much of the Brentford danger, United's defence was again carved open by a long throw into the box, which preyed upon uncertainty and exposed the vulnerabilities still unsolved under Ralf Rangnick.
Extra pressure has been put on United to threaten from set-pieces this season since the arrival of Ramsay last summer, an addition Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was eager to boast about.
"We've been fortunate enough to convince Eric Ramsay to come and join the best club in the world and in the country,” Solskjaer stated. “He’s a very highly rated coach who is going to be working with individuals and in charge of set-plays as well.
“We’re excited. He’s young, fresh and with new ideas, an innovative coach we know from before."
Ramsay was recommended to the club by former assistant coach Kieran McKenna, now in charge at Ipswich, after they met one another during their time at Loughborough University.
There can be no denying the pedigree of the former Chelsea and Shrewsbury academy coach, who gained his Uefa Pro Licence at the age of 27, though this extra pressure as a 'set-piece specialist' appears to be weighing heavily on his current reputation.
Following the midweek victory, United have now taken 114 corners this season and failed to score from any of them, and have scored the fewest number of set-piece goals in the Premier League too.
This stat is even more startling when you consider the players they have at their disposal. United might not be known for their long ball play but they are failing to utilise the aerial talents of Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire.
It is even more damning given recent research from PopFoot which shows Ronaldo has scored the most headed goals in the 21st century (110) which is 32 more than second-placed Luuk De Jong. Cavani is himself in 12th place with 57 headed goals in his professional career, further evidence of the untapped threat currently being wasted.
There is some good news, though.
Last season, United had the second-worst defensive record from set-pieces in the Premier League, conceding 14 times across the campaign.
Now they have the fourth-best record and would have shared third-place if not for that late Toney goal via a long throw against Brentford on Wednesday night.
United's summer appointment deserves some credit for the job he has done in defence but until they start scoring goals at the other end, he will remain an easy target for the wider failures on the pitch.
Just like with any new arrival, it can take time for such changes to be implemented, but in the long run, Rangnick could yet reap the rewards of an interesting staff appointment.
Right now, Ramsay's Pitching Nightmares are very much apparent.
