Outside Old Trafford, a photo of Alejandro Garnacho was destroyed with an x pulled over his face.
On the back of the MatchDay program, the name of Jadon Sancho was a long list of 38 Manchester United players at the bottom. He was the only one who didn't get a team number.
Rasmus Hojlund, so often in view of the thankless task of leading the United Attack last season, noticed that he dropped out of the team in a not so subtle message to pack his bags and leave for the end of the transfer window.
Marcus Rashford was pushed on loan to Barcelona and Antony has now become a side issue in these parts.
And so here was a Manchester United in the vision of Ruben Amorim. Started and started again with an amount of £ 200 million. What was produced in the course of 96 minutes in the defeat against Arsenal – not too much longer, granted – was an underlining of why he was right to start again.
United scored a meager 32 league goals from 27 league games last season under Amorim. In the course of the campaign, only four teams scored less competition goals than United (and three of them went down!)
Factor also that even when they created the opportunities, they wasted them, brag – if that can even be a suitable word – the second lowest shot conversion rate in the competition, both in total and from 'great opportunities'.
Too often the attackers of Manchester United sucked life from a stadium that was already a pocket with nerves.
So to see the exciting displays of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha that fans came from their feet time and time again, it was underlined to supporters how much the previous itighing of this Amorim side had hungered.
Mbeumo was so dynamic in the role of Judge Nr.
In a ruthless first half, he completed 100 percent of his dribbles of 13 sprints. Eight completed passes, four crosses, two shots and a chance had some in Old Trafford in disbelief. A certain one-on-one earned a better finish than the tiring with which he ended.
With regard to the first impressions, this was a great, even if there is no goal if the icing at the top.
Cunha also flourished in a role that enabled him to break the space to deeply and switch between a fake no. 9 and a broad player as one of the No. 10s.
It cost two spectacular rescues from David Raya, one layer left of his left with only fingertips to deny Cunha in the first half, and a brilliant reflex stop to hold a mbeumo header in the second, to deny both attacker goals that earned their performances.
By the time Simon Hooper blew his whistle to put Arsenal out of their misery while held a huge three points, Cunha and Mbeumo had made nine shots between them. That was as much as the entire Arsenal team was combined.
The Retort here is that United lost again. They did that a lot last season and take Cunha as an example, statistics show that he had the least touches (35) of an outfield player to play 90 minutes and lose most duels (12) in the game.
That is why the eye test is important. Old Trafford felt like a place that attackers could thrive again after they looked earlier as a cemetery where the careers of promising players to die.
“They created a lot, they were in the right positions,” said Captain Bruno Fernandes afterwards about the dynamic attacking duo.
“We know they are dangerous and they are a threat. We are very aware of what they can give to the team. It was a good first impression for them, but I am pretty sure that they will do much better. '
Sesko came out of the couch late, too early to judge, even if he had a few half chances to try his luck.
The story here was Cunha and Mbeumo, two players from a Throwback era in which Manchester United had an attack that people could get out of their seats.
“Players such as Cunha and Mbeumo can elevate the stadium at one time,” said Amorim. It is perfect.
“The most important thing is that we were not boring.”
Promise and hope for better days is a currency that will only take as long as one match a week is the punishment to fail so badly last season.
But last night walking out of Old Trafford to see fans talking positively about players, was to grasp the fact that Amorim's revised version of United is right with every call.
“Six months ago, in my first three games that were in charge, with two wins and one draw, I told you that the storm is coming,” Amorim Fans said on 25 May.
“Today, after this disastrous season, I want to tell you that the good days are coming.”
Ninety -six minutes here, illuminated by their shiny new toys, showed why he is right.