All smiles and hope - but then normal service was resumed United.

It’s not often that Manchester United fans have a better matchweek their City rivals - but they did yesterday.

What a start the new coach got off to - a goal up after only 80 seconds or so, but don’t mention the shanked cross that turned into a really good ball!

And just for a moment it looked as though Marcus Rashford had re-discovered his appetite for the game. He was even smiling.

I loved the way Amorim reacted to the goal. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He was motionless. Class.

But - the freshness, the optimism, the joy all faded too quickly and it was clear that despite the system - and there’s nothing wrong with it - this United team is in terminal decline and Amorim has got a hell of a job on his hands.

But we knew that didn’t we? There’s no short term fix. He simply doesn’t have enough players who are good enough to wear the jersey.

Look at the starting line-up. How many of them would you keep? Three? Certainly no more. And where do you get rid of the rest? Who’s going to take Rashford and pay him £350,000 a week? Casemiro? Eriksen? Evans? De Light? Ugarte? Fernandes? Mount? Zirkzee? It’s scary.

Only surgery is going to sort the mess out and that will require Ratcliffe to find someone money - big money. Factor in wages, I reckon it’s going to need a billion - £500m on players at least - the rest in wages and agents fees.

Is Ratcliffe going to spend that kind of money? Is he hell. Don’t bet on United re-joining everybody else at the top table any time soon. I genuinely wish Amorim all the luck in the world. He seems like a really nice guy, but that won’t be enough.

What on earth is going on at City? I was right that Guardiola was planning to leave. He’s admitted it now. If I knew that, I’m quite certain his players did and I initially thought the speculation inside the club was having an unsettling effect on them, but after watching them torn apart by Spurs I’m not sure it’s as simple as that.

They were flat footed. Out of energy and ideas. In short - way off.

One or two of them might be in decline, but I don’t believe they won’t be at it again soon. Unlike United, there are too many good players on the books for the slump to last.

One question though. Has Guardiola tired of De Bruyne? He’s had him on the bench for the last five games now. Why isn’t he starting?

Could it be that Guardiola is trying to find a different way and that De Bruyne’s race is run?

As Roberto Martinez found out when De Bruyne blew the Belgian squad up before a ball was kicked at the last World Cup, he can be a difficult boy to manage. But you could never question his ability.

Spurs were fantastic. I say again - what are we to make of them? Hopeless one week - brilliant the next. But keep going Ange. Passing the ball forward and running forward - that will never catch on mind you!

Any truth in the rumour that Southampton’s players get the win bonus after the defeat to Liverpool? They certainly did more than the leaders to earn them the points. I watched with incredulity as the first goal went in. We all did. I tweeted ‘there are no words….’

It’s one thing having principles - it’s quite another being both naive and stupid. No wonder so many different managers are complimentary about Russell Martin. He’s Vincent Kompany in disguise. Perhaps he thinks he’ll get the Real Madrid job at the end of the season?

I’m sorry for Steve Cooper that it didn’t work out at Leicester. I think he’s one of the good guys, but he was always going to be up against it. Who made the decision to appoint him though? How come he gets away with what quickly turned into a hugely expensive error? If it was director of football Jon Rudkin shouldn’t he be shown the door as well?

Andy Madley certainly didn’t help Cooper - just as Chris Kavanagh and Michael Oliver eventually did for ten Hag with that ridiculous penalty award at West Ham.

Madley was hopeless at the King Power. Ndidi has got to go. That was an awful challenge. And why no pen before the one Leicester did get? If you didn’t think Fofana’s challenge on Mavididi was a pen why did Madley give a free-kick for an identical challenge less than 30 seconds later in the middle of the field?

When Madley did finally get one right - after a VAR intervention, why wasn’t Lavia sent off for a denial? It doesn’t matter that it wasn’t an intentional challenge.

Cooper was rightly furious about it all, but once again the real culprits walk away.

In general there was far too much inaccurate VAR intervention this weekend. They got involved when they didn’t need to and missed a whole lot more that should’ve got their attention. Lallana should’ve been sent off. And Norgaard’s dismissal at Everton was a joke. Thomas Frank was spot on with his post match comments.

The Celebration Police loved Gary O’Neil’s fist pumps and roar of delight at the end of Wolves’ game at Fulham. I know ‘it was only Fulham’ but O’Neil has been suffering recently and deserved his moment. Incidentally - Cunha won’t be at Molineux next season. He’s quality.

And finally. I want you to use your imagination. What do we think would’ve happened if the Ipswich Town fan who called out Roy Keane on Sunday (Neil Finbow) had walked from the terraces - calmly and with plenty of time to gather his thoughts - to Keane at his broadcast point and called him out - ranting about wanting a fight in the car park?

Yea. I think so too. He would’ve been arrested. I wonder what Scott Law (look him up) was thinking when he saw the incident?

Aren’t we trying to get people that watch football to behave a little better than they do?

If I’m wrong tell me. Or perhaps Sky are planning a new series we haven’t yet heard about - Footballers’ Fights? They’re half way there. It’ll make great family entertainment. Smashed it Roy.