One of the privileges of covering Manchester United from Old Trafford's press box is the seats allocated to the MEN are adjacent to the visiting team's analysts.
The former Blackburn and Scotland midfielder, Billy McKinlay, and Nottingham Forest and England legend Stuart Pearce, were sat next to each other on a spacious desk on Saturday, separated from the middle section where reporters are as crammed in as commuters on the tube.
It was deep into the second-half when McKinlay identified a problem. "Ronaldo in that pocket is killing us again," he said ominously.
Other than his matchwinning moments, the most awe-inspiring attribute Ronaldo has showcased back at United is his lay-offs by dropping off. Whether it is a flick, a header or via his chest, his cushioned touches from long balls are immaculate and worthy of a montage on Twitter. Ronaldo sent Bruno Fernandes through to set up Mason Greenwood at Brentford last week.
It is a double-edged sword witnessing a finale as coruscating as Saturday's. You try to drink it in, gleaning as much colour in real-time before reviewing the replay. And still, you cannot absorb every detail as you frantically tap the keys.
The standout feature of United's winner was all three substitutes combined. What Ronaldo did prior to feeding Anthony Martial was just as significant. Alex Telles's underhit hoik is misjudged by Ryan Fredericks and his mistimed header drops to the loitering Ronaldo in the pocket. And that's where Ronaldo goes in for the kill.
Fredericks is already out of position, having followed Jarrod Bowen up the right-hand side, when he desperately chases down Ronaldo, who also has Declan Rice steaming in. Fredericks panics when, in hindsight, he should leave Rice to close down Ronaldo and track back.
But he doesn't, and that frees up not just Martial but Edinson Cavani in the left-hand channel, creating an overload. Martial faces up Craig Dawson and Kurt Zouma is so conscious of Cavani on the overlap he is intent on trapping him offside.
Unbeknownst to Zouma, the left-back Aaron Cresswell is pegged back by Marcus Rashford just enough to play Cavani onside. Like Zouma, Cresswell's hand goes up when Martial plays the pass and he switches off. Rashford is switched on and poaches the winner.
Whilst changing the genre of the match piece after the final shrill, McKinlay's quote made the cut in the penultimate paragraph to tee up the pay-off when the insight was headline-worthy.
Ronaldo's assist for Cavani at Tottenham in October came from the pocket and Donny van de Beek pounced from a selfless Ronaldo lay-off at Watford when he might have headed at goal.
Up until Rashford's fourth 'Fergie Time' winner in the Premier League, United's slugfest with West Ham was memorable only for Ronaldo's theatrical repertoire. Mason Greenwood was chastised for his greed, Harry Maguire admonished for heading the ball to Ronaldo (he was offside) and the referee Jon Moss's competence questioned.
All of that frustration was channeled into those four careful touches of the ball in the 93rd minute that created the three-on-three and took two West Ham defenders out of the game.
The United players savoured the victory and lingered long after the game had ended. Chris Armas, the assistant coach, approached Ronaldo, not blinded by his full-beam smile, and they laughed before clasping hands and embracing. Perhaps it was all part of the plan.
Long before Rashford struck, a colleague overheard the West Ham analysts advising David Moyes and his staff to make freshen up a tired team with more substitutions. They recommended Michail Antonio, neutered by Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire, come off. Those in the dugout thought otherwise. Fredericks was West Ham's only substitution and he effectively sparked the decisive 93rd-minute breakaway.
"Evening David, that must feel like a real kick in the teeth," the Evening Standard's Jack Rosser said on the post-match Zoom.
The reply consisted of nine words: "P----d off with that result, Jack, that’s for sure."
