You’d be forgiven for assuming Anthony Taylor had taken pity on Manchester United and decided to blow the full-time whistle 30 minutes early judging by the exodus of fans from Old Trafford at 5:40 pm on Sunday afternoon.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side endured one of the worst days in the club’s history as they were utterly dismantled by ole foes Liverpool, with Jurgen Klopp’s charges heading back to the M62 with a seismic seven-point lead over United after just nine Premier League games.
Meanwhile, exactly 860 miles away in Barcelona, Ronald Koeman's side were also being put to the sword by their arch-enemies as Real Madrid survived a late fightback to secure the win in El Clasico (I don't know what the Spanish equivalent of the M62 is but whatever it is they headed down it with a six-point lead over Barca in La Liga).
Now, considering United are one point further behind Liverpool then Barcelona are behind Real, and Koeman's men were only narrowly beaten 2-1 on Sunday while United were absolutely tanked 5-0, you'd imagine Solskjaer's exit from Old Trafford would be met with more disgruntled fans then Koeman's Camp Nou departure?
Apparently not.
The Barcelona boss was hounded out of the Camp Nou car park by furious home fans demanding answers for their side's dismal showing, while Solskjaer - all credit to him by the way - was seen signing autographs and taking pictures with fans prior to heading for the Old Trafford gates.
You see, it's difficult to dislike a man like Solskjaer. Even neutrals would agree that it's a horrible sight seeing someone who clearly has so much love for a club unable to usher in the return of the halcyon days he once played a part in delivering.
United fans simply cannot hate Solskjaer. They can disagree with his methods and ultimately come to the conclusion he's not the man for the job, but how can you possibly hate a man whose goal helped us become European champions and he's simply returned to try and pull us out of the quagmire we've slipped into?
You're either too young to remember the early '90s or you'll know exactly where we're going with this by now.
Having spent the finest years of his playing career with Barcelona, club legend Koeman returned to Barca last year in a bid to rescue them from the dreaded 'fallen giant' tag.
To say it hasn't gone to plan would be an understatement. Granted, Koeman has fallen victim of the Blaugrana fans funnelling their anger at the general state of the club towards him, but everything isn't exactly rosy in the United hierarchy garden right now either.
I'm not for a second suggesting there could become a time where Solskjaer is being chased out of Old Trafford by an angry mob of United fans, but Koeman's dramatic transition from club hero to public enemy number one in the space of a year at Barcelona is alarming, to say the least.
When Mohamed Salah notched Liverpool's fourth goal on Sunday the atmosphere in Old Trafford began to grow increasingly toxic, and Klopp's side's decision to play keep-ball for the final 40 minutes of the game has possibly handed Solskjaer a lifeline. Otherwise, it could genuinely have been double figures.
No United fan wants to dislike Solskjaer, but then no Barcelona fan would ever have wanted to dislike Koeman. It's beginning to feel a little like Ole's legacy could be on the line.
Do you think it's time for Solskjaer to go? Follow our United On My Mind writer Ross Jackson on Twitter and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below
