It has been 13 years and counting since Manchester United's last Premier League title. 18 since their last Champions League, too.
Yet following Sunday's devastating 1-0 defeat to Manchester City, there's a sense that the wait for both will only go on. It is the blue side of Manchester that rules the roost these days, with their red counterparts mired in mediocrity both on and off the pitch.
Yes, United have every right to be angry about Erling Haaland's winning goal at Old Trafford. The Norway international netted after Phil Foden's red card, with the effort allowed to stand following a lengthy VAR review. Enzo Fernandez, who distracted both Lisandro Martinez and Senne Lammens, was adjudged not to have interfered with play. To the shock of absolutely everybody, the goal was given and City went on to claim three points in front of their travelling supporters.
Pro Ref, the referees’ governing body, have since admitted that a huge error was made. A statement released late last night said: "Following the incident in the 60th minute of Sunday's Premier League fixture between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford, we can provide clarification regarding Erling Haaland's awarded goal.
"The on-field decision was offside against Erling Haaland – that was checked by VAR and he was found to be in an onside position.
"In the same attack, it was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective, however, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review.
"Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement. A review of the incident will take place."
Everybody in football, City fans aside, are angry. A VAR error, in a game of this magnitude, simply isn't good enough. Acknowledging the mistake won't give United back a point. From Michael Carrick to Wayne Rooney, Gary Neville to Joe Hart, the backlash has been ferocious.
Yet just four games into a season that promised so much, United's campaign is already at risk of unravelling. They have lost two of their first four league games. They already sit eight points behind Arsenal and City at the summit. And Carrick, for all his brilliant work last season, finds himself facing scrutiny over whether he's truly the man to bring the glory days back.
There are, however, larger issues at play here. Carrick got his tactics wrong against City, particularly with his decision to wait until the 67th minute to introduce Benjamin Sesko. He has, though, been set up to fail.
Everybody knows United need better full-backs. On Sunday, that was more apparent than ever.
This summer, the Red Devils chose to neglect that area. The higher-ups at Old Trafford opted to focus solely on strengthening the midfield, with Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and an injured Carlos Baleba all brought in from Aston Villa, Chelsea and Brighton respectively.
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But one look at Sunday's game shows that was a catastrophic error. One that, if these early fixtures are anything to go by, could haunt them for the foreseeable future.
Diogo Dalot has been at United for eight years without ever looking world-class. Though a hard worker, his lack of technical ability is astonishing. The City goal came from his side because he wasn't tight enough to close down Josko Gvardiol. That lapse, on a day of fine margins, cost his side dear.
Then on the other flank was Patrick Dorgu. Dorgu is a curious case because, for a brief spell last season, he appeared to be shining as a winger. Deployed at left-back against City, the Denmark international prompted groan after groan from the crowd because his end product and defensive nous aren't good enough at this level.
Dorgu only played because Luke Shaw was injured. Though he stayed fit for the entirety of last season, it's staggering United thought they could navigate the current campaign with the 31-year-old as their only out-and-out left-back given his torrid record. Shaw has been at United since the days of Louis van Gaal but, after 12 years, has never done enough to be compared to club icons Patrice Evra and Denis Irwin.
Among those watching from the directors’ box at Old Trafford were Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Avram Glazer.
Glazer visits only sporadically and remains a deeply unpopular figure among supporters, with protests and hostility continuing to follow his family’s ownership.
It has been 21 years since the Glazer family purchased United and, to this day, they are yet to invest a single penny of their own money into the club. Compare that to City's Middle Eastern owners and the difference couldn't be more striking.
We won't go into the controversies that surround City's hierarchy because they're well-documented. They do, however, care about winning. Since 2008, they've spent lavishly to bring in whoever they want or need. Just this summer alone, £300million was spent on midfielders Enzo Fernandez, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Elliot Anderson. Iliman Ndiaye and Allan were also snapped up from Everton and Palmeiras respectively.
United instead penny-pinched, which has been a theme of the Ratcliffe era. The INEOS chief is a minority owner yet oversees footballing operations. He promised 'best in class' but has continuously stressed that the club needs to be careful with its finances.
Still, that hasn’t stopped him from championing plans for a ridiculously expensive new stadium that could cost around £3billion. Every United fan would prefer the club to win the league or Champions League instead of leaving Old Trafford, despite the grand arena's worsening condition. People love stadiums, but that's not top of anyone's list for supporting their teams.
United remain the only 'top six' club that hasn't spent £100m on a single player. Their record recruit remains Paul Pogba, who signed on the dotted line for a fee of £89m a decade ago.
Managers have been eaten alive ever since Sir Alex Ferguson packed his bags and strolled off into the sunset in 2013. David Moyes, Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik ten Hag, Ruben Amorim and Carrick have all inherited an institution without the coherent recruitment, decisive leadership or elite footballing structure required to succeed.
There is a recurring theme, however. When United qualify for the Champions League, and meet the Glazers' objectives, they often sell themselves short. Mourinho was sacked in 2018 after being handed Fred, Lee Grant and Dalot during a summer in which he wanted considerably more. Solskjaer was told he'd be limited to three first-team signings while he was manager. Ten Hag increasingly relied on familiar players and figures connected to his own agency as United struggled to land marquee targets such as Frenkie de Jong.
United are entitled to rage against the decision that settled Sunday’s derby.
But one refereeing error cannot explain 13 years of decline. City are the club with 'best in class' both on and off the pitch. United merely talk like one. The glory days have never felt further away.
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