As the Manchester United supporters headed out into the drizzle, there was at least a collective sense of relief that Louis van Gaal’s team have reminded themselves what it is like to win a football match. It has been a long time coming – 42 days, to be precise – and they had to endure a wretched first half. Yet the eight-match sequence without a victory, their worst run since 1990, is finally over and the crowd will cling to the hope that better times might be ahead.