Captain chaos! Man United wanted Erik ten Hag to bring method and calmness

On the Ineos compass displayed at the company’s headquarters in Knightsbridge, roughly 80 degrees west of ‘don’t do dumb s**t’ is another thing Sir Jim Ratcliffe does not like that could well apply to Manchester United and boss Erik ten Hag — making the same mistake twice.

Anyone who witnessed United’s capitulations in stoppage time at both Brentford and Chelsea over the past week would recognise the familiar failings in Ten Hag’s side.

At the Gtech Community Stadium last Saturday night, they led in the 99th minute and drew. Five miles down the road at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, United were 3-2 up in the 100th minute and lost 4-3.

Instead of six points, they got one. For a team playing catch-up in the race for Champions League places, and a manager whose job prospects may well hinge on qualifying for Europe’s elite competition, making the same mistake twice could have serious consequences.

Only, it is more than twice. Much more. This season has produced a catalogue of errors, from the crazy Champions League ties against Galatasaray, Bayern Munich and Copenhagen to the kind of Premier League madness we witnessed in west London this past week. Great for the neutrals, less so for United fans.

How naive were we for thinking the drama had peaked in that FA Cup tie for the ages three weeks ago when Amad Diallo’s 121st-minute goal snatched a 4-3 win over Liverpool in a stupendous quarter-final at Old Trafford.

When Jurgen Klopp’s side return tomorrow looking to take another step towards winning the Premier League title, the mood at United could not be more different.

The manner of defeat against Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea must have taken Ten Hag back five years to a heartbreaking Champions League semi-final defeat when the two