Erik ten Hag should know his Manchester United fate after seeing Sir Jim Ratcliffe on the big screen

The Coventry fans were enjoying a lusty rendition of "3-0 and you f**ked it up" when they had to break off to see if their team could turn a remarkable comeback into what might have been the greatest of all time. After Haji Wright's penalty had made it 3-3, Ellis Simms twice threatened to finish the job before full-time.

He didn't and United limped into extra-time. A chorus of boos rained down from the United end when the whistle blew. Many of those fans would have been tapping along to the opposite side of Wembley singing "you're getting sacked in the morning" a few minutes earlier.

It might not be that swift, but let's not beat around the bush any longer. The last rites were administered to the Erik ten Hag era in those 20 minutes when United went from 3-0 up against a Championship side to drawing 3-3 and clinging on. It's over. He knows it. The fans know it. Ineos know it.

United player ratings vs Coventry

United vs Coventry as it happened

There were 10 internationals on that pitch when Coventry pulled their first goal back. You would never have guessed it. What followed was one of the most spineless collapses Wembley has seen. United's most familiar problems came flooding back. They take too long to recover from a blow and they didn't clear the heads until they gathered - shellshocked, stunned and embarrassed - for the start of extra time.

But so many of these failings are tactical as well. For 70 minutes Coventry had barely been in the game. All of a sudden gaps started to appear in the defence and the midfield was missing in action once more, regularly caught ahead of the ball even as they sought to protect a lead. There is a startling lack of game management in this side.

The irony is that for most of the