The defining image of Manchester United's season came in the 71st minute against Southampton. The team with a set-piece coach and without a set-piece goal all season scored from a set-piece. It was just that six players were offside.
Some supporters sat in the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand parallel with United's attacking line joked before kick-off Harry Maguire must have been pushing one of the lawnmowers, as the grass-cutting was wonky. They were literally laughing again at the wayward line of the United attackers seconds before Bruno Fernandes whipped the ball into the Southampton area.
Like an obsequious Tory, some United players tried to defend the indefensible, adding to the tragicomedy. Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo protested to the referee Stuart Attwell and were more expert at time-wasting than any of the Southampton players. The atrocious Atwell took one minute and 13 seconds to confirm it was offside and, even after that, nattered with Fraser Forster.
