Daniel James was a rare bright spark for an uninspired Manchester United who drew 1-1 at Southampton.The young Welshman opened the scoring with a superb finish from just inside the box. Yet the Red Devils' continued inability to keep a clean sheet once again came back to haunt them. This time it was Jannik Vestergaard who breached the defence after towering above a lacklustre Victor Lindelof to win the header. United put their own fair share of decent crosses into the box, but they lacked the firepower to finish their chances off.
As a result, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been given further cause for alarm as his slide slump to their worst league start since 1992.
All the positivity generated by the 4-0 thumping of Chelsea on the opening weekend has quickly dissipated.
That result appears to have been the anomaly rather than an indication of their genuine form.
Draws with Wolves and the Saints have sandwiched a home injury-time defeat to Crystal Palace.
There's a wider trend too, dating back to last season.
Since that that famous 3-1 Champions League victory over PSG, courtesy of a contentious Presnel Kimpembe handball, United have won just three games out of 16.
Their opponents? Watford, West Ham, and of course Chelsea a few short weeks ago.
The Blues, along with relegated Huddersfield, are the other sides to have held them to a draw in that period, on top of Wolves and Southampton more recently.
In Solskjaer's first 12 league games, his rejuvenated squad snatched 32 points, helping him to a permanent contract in the process.
In his most recent 12 league games in charge, they've managed a grant total of 13 points. Quite the slump.
His critics are inevitably going to question whether the board were too hasty in appointing the Norwegian on a permanent basis.
After PSG, however, the former striker enjoyed considerable backing, including from the likes of ex United players like Rio Ferdinand.
"Man United might thank me but get the contract out, put it on the table, let him sign it, let him write whatever numbers he wants to put on there given what he's done now since he's come in," or so waxed lyrical the BT Sport pundit after the final whistle against PSG.
"And let him sign the contract. Ole's at the wheel, man! He's doing his thing. Man United are back!"
It's going to be a long international break in which United will have to dissect their problems.