Whenever Manchester United come up against a team managed by David Moyes, it provides the perfect opportunity to look back on the Red Devils' rather turbulent recent history.
Moyes was, of course, the original successor to Alex Ferguson. The 'Chosen One', as the infamous banner read, and, to many, a harbinger of mediocrity.
That's slightly unfair on Moyes as although United won the title just before he ascended the Old Trafford hot seat, he was left with an aging squad that needed replenishing, plus the club's deep reverence for Ferguson ultimately stopped them moving with the times.
For years, Ferguson essentially operated as a head coach, recruitment director and sporting director rolled into one. The Scot was so effective and influential that, once he'd left, United were suddenly unprepared to meaningfully challenge the best teams.
This past year has arguably seen that gap reach its widest point in the Premier League era, with United posting their worst points total (58) since the competition's foundation in 1992 last season.
But in Erik ten Hag, United might finally have the right manager at the right time.
The succession
While United's woes of the short-lived Moyes era weren't just down to him, nothing over the past eight years has suggested the club was wrong to get rid of him in 2014.
Nevertheless, Moyes and every other post-Ferguson United manager had their strengths.
Moyes had an intimate knowledge of the league; Louis van Gaal brought a defined 'philosophy' and vast experience; Jose Mourinho had the name recognition and a track record of winning trophies; Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was already deified by supporters and his management style allowed players to be more expressive than under his pragmatic predecessor; Ralf Rangnick came in with 'club-building' expertise at a time when United's structure was spoken about as their biggest area of concern.
But none of them ever looked likely to be a long-term success for United. Obviously that was the hope for Moyes when he signed his five-year contract, though it quickly became apparent his personality was at odds with much of the team and his lack of tactical imagination made the side predictable, boring and ineffective.
Van Gaal did at least try to put a modern stamp on United, with his possession-based approach initially lauded upon his arrival after presiding over a fine World Cup campaign with the Netherlands. But again, the football was tedious to watch, with the Red Devils often accused of keeping possession for possession's sake rather than being able to work openings.
He's since been very critical of how United are run, perhaps casting light on why he was never quite right – maybe he would've been if there was a credible recruitment structure in place, but there wasn't.
Mourinho might argue recruitment issues were behind his downfall as well. Certainly, if you believe the media reports, United routinely missed out on players considered to be his primary targets.
But fans called his exit two years in advance. The prediction was that he'd be in charge for two seasons and then get the boot in his third, which of course came to pass.
Solskjaer arguably got the most freedom to build a team in his image, which was ironic given he was by far the least experienced of the managers to arrive after Ferguson. Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho were all desired by the Norwegian and they duly arrived, but the manager's coaching methods were widely derided from outside the club with few players appearing to improve under his tutelage.
Then the Rangnick-led rebuild ended up being a red herring. Results and performances weren't much better than under Solskjaer, and while his honest appraisals of the club's structure were appreciated by fans, the hierarchy clearly felt differently and swiftly ended his two-year consultancy shortly after Ten Hag's appointment.
Ten Hag's impact
So, what's changed?
Well, in reality we're obviously only going to really know how much United have changed in terms of the general running of the club a few years down the line.
They do at least now have a genuine sporting structure. Granted, it was questioned in pre-season when Ten Hag came in and immediately started demanding players he knew or had previously coached, but all pre-season signings have at least looked encouraging.
As for Ten Hag's management, there have been plenty of examples of him avoiding the mistakes of his predecessors.
Like Van Gaal, Ten Hag has looked to implement a more possession-focused style of play, but this United seem to be playing more on the front foot when out of possession than the LVG vintage.
And yet, Ten Hag's shown the sort of adaptability the likes of Solskjaer and Mourinho were accused of failing to embrace. He's already ditched the insistence on playing out from the back with David de Gea after the Spaniard's struggles in their first two games of the season, while the experiment of playing Christian Eriksen in defensive midfield didn't last long either.
But, arguably most important of all, Ten Hag's shown he's not shy about making tough calls. He dropped Luke Shaw and captain Harry Maguire after two games, and his exclusion of Cristiano Ronaldo from the squad to face Chelsea last weekend after the striker's refusal to come on against Tottenham was a real show of conviction and leadership.
Ronaldo was welcomed back into the starting XI against Sheriff on Thursday, though, evidence of Ten Hag finding the balance between authority and forgiveness, areas that Solskjaer, Mourinho and Rangnick all seemed to fall short in in different ways.
Of course, results are key. While it's still too early to draw any major conclusions here because who's to say they don't lose every game between now and the World Cup, there have undoubtedly been positive signs with wins against the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham. Even the draw at Chelsea was morale-boosting.
Crucially, United need to give Ten Hag time. If Solskjaer can be given three years, Ten Hag surely needs at least that long as well.
The first few months of his reign have certainly suggested United are on the right track with their latest 'Chosen One'.
Soucek dedicates win over Luton to 'unbelievable' departing manager Moyes
Tomas Soucek dedicated his side's victory over Luton Town to David Moyes as the West Ham manager signed off at home in winning ways.
West Ham confirmed earlier this week that Moyes is to depart London Stadium at the end of the season when his contract expires.
The Hammers defeated Luton 3-1 in Saturday's Premier League contest, with Moyes given a strong ovation before, during and after the match.
Soucek, who netted either side of goals from James Ward-Prowse and youngster George Earthy, is grateful for what Moyes has done.
"It is tough to take. The manager has been unbelievable and improved this club a lot," he told BBC Sport.
"We wanted to get the win for him and we're happy that we did in the second half. It was tough at the beginning but it's a good win for everyone."
West Ham's comeback victory snapped their latest four-game winless streak in all competitions, which included a 5-0 loss at Chelsea last week.
Moyes, who guided United to Europa Conference League glory last year, was glad to bow out with three points in front of a fanbase that has at times been divided over his future.
"I go away from here with great memories," said Moyes, whose side conclude their campaign at Manchester City next weekend.
"The club is a brilliant club and has so much room for improvement. It can step up again and I hope that they do. The crowds here are huge and we had a great crowd today.
"I have lots of great memories here. We have beaten a lot of the bigger sides at home and the biggest thing is that West Ham are back on the map."
Luton took the lead in East London through Albert Sambi Lokonga inside six minutes, but they were unable to hold on for a much-needed win.
The Hatters have just one win in their past 16 matches and now look all but certain to be relegated after just one season in the top flight.
Nottingham Forest require just one point from games with Chelsea and Burnley to confirm Luton's relegation.
However, the Hatters' vastly inferior goal difference means they effectively cannot catch Forest, even if every remaining result goes in their favour.
Town boss Rob Edwards had tears in his eyes when he applauded the away fans at full-time as he accepted his side's fate after a gruelling campaign.
"I was emotional at the end with the way our supporters reacted," he said. "I can only say thanks to the players, the staff and our fans.
"We haven't got over the line but we've done it before and we can be back here again. It's a world all about results but our fans have shown understanding and total support.
"There is a connection and a bond that you can see. That doesn't happen very often. We have grown so much, this club is only going in one direction.
"The growth this team have shown makes me really proud. I care about how we go about it and to show the competitive nature we have been able to bring to the league makes us all better. In the end it's just been too much for us."
Wolves 1-3 Crystal Palace: Olise inspires in-form Eagles to another victory
Crystal Palace continued their impressive form as goals from Michael Olise, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eberechi Eze gave the Eagles a 3-1 victory over Wolves at Molineux.
Olise broke the deadlock with a curling strike after 26 minutes before Mateta grabbed a second just three minutes later to set Palace on the route to victory.
Matheus Cunha pulled a goal back for the hosts, but Eze restored their two-goal cushion with 17 minutes remaining, and they hung on despite Naouirou Ahamada receiving a second yellow card late on.
Wolves drop to 13th with defeat as Palace leapfrog them on goal difference into 12th position in the Premier League table, having enjoyed a resurgence under new boss Oliver Glasner.
With both sides tucked safely in mid-table, it was – perhaps unsurprisingly – something of a slow burner at Molineux.
Max Kilman headed over for Wolves early on, before Mateta intercepted a pass and slid in Eze for a shot on goal, which he could not direct on target.
Olise spurned another good opportunity when he shot wide at the back post from Mateta's cross, but he then opened the scoring with a delightful left-footed curling strike, which was perfectly placed beyond the stretching arm of Dan Bentley.
The in-form Mateta then swiftly doubled Palace's advantage with a close-range finish after Nathaniel Clyne had struck the post following excellent work from Olise.
Wolves nearly responded before half-time when Matt Doherty rattled the crossbar with a header from Rayan Ait-Nouri’s cross, then Cunha forced Dean Henderson into a smart save after the interval.
Cunha managed to halve the deficit with 66 minutes played, however, firing into the roof of the net with a VAR check awarding the goal after Hwang Hee-chan was flagged offside.
Clyne then made an important interception to deny Hwang an almost certain goal before Olise split the Wolves defence to find Eze, who rounded the goalkeeper and tapped in Palace's third.
They held on despite Ahamanda being sent off late on, receiving his second booking for a rash lunge on Cunha. Referee Thomas Bramall originally pointed to the penalty spot but after a VAR review, the decision was overturned and a free-kick awarded outside the area.
Wolves lack solid foundations
After a positive first half of the season which saw them on the cusp of a potential European place, Wolves’ final home match of the season ended in defeat and Gary O’Neil’s side are now destined to finish in the bottom half of the table.
Their recent slide has seen them win just once in their last nine matches.
Wolves' defence has let them down lately – only Sheffield United, Luton Town and West Ham have conceded more goals in their last 15 Premier League games – but losing Jose Sa in the build-up to illness did not help here.
Bentley though could do little to stop any of the Palace goals as the game quickly got away from Wolves in the first half.
Eagles continue to fly
Glasner will be delighted that his side could follow up Monday's 4-0 thrashing of Manchester United with just a second away victory in 13 matches.
Palace extend their unbeaten run to six games, with the front three of Olise, Mateta and Eze once again excellent and at the forefront of this win.
A victory on the final day at home to Aston Villa could reward the Eagles with a top-half finish after a campaign which threatened to see them in a relegation scrap.
The only downside to this win was a first-half injury to Will Hughes, which Glasner will be hoping is nothing serious.
Bournemouth 1-2 Brentford: Wissa wins it after frantic finish
Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo starred in a frantic finish as Brentford emerged with a dramatic 2-1 away victory against Bournemouth.
Saturday’s match was goalless after 85 minutes and it looked like visitors Brentford had snatched victory when a fine pass by Wissa allowed Mbeumo to open the scoring.
But Dominic Solanke headed in an equaliser for the hosts with one minute of normal time remaining.
That was not to be the last of the drama, though, as Mbeumo turned provider and Wissa scored the winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Defeat means Bournemouth are 11th in the standings, behind Brighton on goal difference, while Brentford are 16th, now just one point behind Everton.
The Cherries thought they had opened the scoring midway through the first half via top scorer Solanke, but following a VAR review, referee Matt Donohue disallowed the strike after checking the pitch-side screen. Donohue, taking charge of his first ever Premier League game, adjudged that Antoine Semenyo handled the ball before providing the pass to Solanke.
In a game of few quality chances, Keane Lewis-Potter came close for the away side on the hour-mark. After good build-up play, captain Christian Nørgaard slipped in the 23-year-old midfielder, but he was unable to make clean contact with the ball and Mark Travers in the Bournemouth goal was able to gather.
It took until 65 minutes for Bournemouth to win their first corner of the afternoon, and it led to their first serious chance of the second period. The Cherries have already scored 11 goals from corners in 2023-24, more than in any previous Premier League campaign, but Lloyd Kelly’s header narrowly missed the target, rolling just wide of the post.
Ivan Toney thought he had won a penalty in the 71st minute after falling to ground under pressure from Illia Zabarnyi. Referee Donohue originally awarded the spot-kick, but another VAR intervention saw him reverse his decision after it was deemed that contact was not sufficient to warrant the penalty.
Eventually, a mad spell of three goals in nine minutes saw Brentford come out on top.
Mbeumo thought he had won the game for Brentford with just three minutes left to play, racing on to Wissa’s pass to finish well past Travers, but Solanke’s header looked set to win the home side a point.
It was left to Wissa to win the game for Thomas Frank’s side in the fifth minute of injury time, slamming high into the net from an Mbeumo assist.
Perfect Partners Seal Three Points for Bees
This was the fifth Premier League game this season than both Mbeumo and Wissa have scored for Brentford, after previous double acts versus Spurs and Fulham in August, Burnley in October and Aston Villa last month.
With 20 goals between the two forwards overall in the competition this season, their partnership has been crucial to Brentford’s survival in the Premier League – even more so with Toney’s recent loss of form in front of goal.
The England international extended his run to 11 successive Premier League appearances without a goal in this match, equalling his all-time longest run in league football from 2013-14 at Northampton Town.
Solanke Stakes Claim for Euro 2024 Selection
He may have ended the afternoon on the losing side, but Solanke scored yet again for Bournemouth.
With 19 goals in the Premier League this season, only Cole Palmer (21) has more goals than the Cherries striker among all English players.
Next week offers him the chance to reach 20 league goals in 2023-24 against his former club, Chelsea. Should he manage that, he’ll join a list of just 23 English players to manage at least 20 goals in a single Premier League season.
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