Manchester United missed two penalties against Norwich,

Martial had, indeed, just scored and although some perspective is needed - Norwich look increasingly like a side who will struggle - Solskjaer's team had delivered emphatically. It was their first away win in the league since February.

As the visitors went about their work, the anxiety was etched across Solskjaer's face and also those of his players, whose routine of pre-match hand-slaps conveyed no sense that they thought they were about to storm the local barricades . Yet despite early signs of the same inertia and bluntness of mind which have plagued them, United provided hints of what their club once was and what it aspires to be.

A reminder of their place in the pantheon came when their opportunistic first goal - smartly struck from the edge of the area by Scott McTominay, who impressed with Fred in central midfield - meant they became the first club to score 2,000 Premier League goals.

There was something more than numerical significance, though. McTominay's decision to slide on his knees and celebrate in front of the Norwich fans was an unpopular decision but the swagger belonged to Sir Alex Ferguson's great teams.

McTominay was booed for the reminder of the evening. He'll happily live with that.

For the vocal United supporters, looking for something substantive to cling to as they sang of their 20 league titles, there was also a quite sublime second goal.

Martial's deft lay-off triggered Daniel James' clipped, first-time diagonal pass, which was taken down by Marcus Rashford with one touch and finished with a second. The defensive capabilities of Norwich, who allowed Rashford free rein, were woefully lacking. Yet it was still a goal of champion class. United's own shooting inability, allied to some extraordinary goalkeeping by Tim Krul, explained why they were not over the hill by half-time.