If you spend long enough, there are *some* positives amongst the rubble of Monday's mess. So here they are....
1) This defeat should finally convince Sir Alex Ferguson to invest in a central midfielder that commands a presence, has supreme generalship skills and can nullify our bonafide kryptonite: Yaya Toure. Central midfield has been a blind spot for the best part of four years and if this defeat, coupled with Paul Pogba's seemingly inevitable departure, gets us a new central midfielder, then that's good enough for me.
2) The end of Ji-Sung Park. A loyal trojan, an unsung hero in an era of ego's but his time has come. Park hasn't been at his best for 18 months now and whilst he may be good enough for another year as a squad player, his starting days are done. But still, he will always have the San Siro & Andrea Pirlo.
3) Tevez didn't score.
4) It's not over yet. If, and its an if as big as Roberto Carlos' thighs, Newcastle take a point, or beat Manchester City, it will be party to end all parties. Winning the title from here, whilst it won't mask any of the problems facing Manchester United, will be even sweeter.
5) Sir Alex Ferguson should now be fully aware of Danny Welbecks worth. I personally thought he was effective when he came on and worked tirelessly to create something for us. At his best Welbeck can be close to unplayable and if he is coached properly he can be United's Adebayor for the next decade.
6) The opponent wasn't Liverpool.
7) Michael Carrick wasn't overrun. Carrick is usually the source of most midfield problems and fan ire at Manchester United after failing to show that he can dominate a big stage game but defeat last night was not his fault. Calm in possession he was a shining light for the Champions and couldn't really have done much better. It bodes well for him after his best season in three years.
8) Michael Owen didn't make the bench. Would there have been a more desperate or humiliating attempt to snatch a point if he had come ambling on?
9) Wayne Rooney is going no where near Manchester City. If last night showed anything, it was that the victors no longer need United's talisman because Aguero is as good as it gets. His partnership with Tevez has been electric over the last four games and if Roberto Mancini does fancy a new striker, it would appear Robin Van Persie is first on the list.
10) Chris Smalling and Phil Jones will learn from this harrowing experience. If the aforementioned duo progress in the way they are expected to do so then Manchester United will have an elite centre back pairing for the best part of the next decade. And with David De Gea constantly learning can DDG-Smalling-Jones be the next VDS-Rio-Vidic?