Erik ten Hag seemed to be the angriest he'd been as Manchester United manager after the heavy Sevilla defeat last month. His blood pressure had clearly been raised at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium by another shameful performance.
In the dressing room, Ten Hag reminded his players of the standards required to represent the club and he reiterated that during his post-match press conference, appearing to suggest that some would be sold if failing to meet his demands.
The players were asked to respond and Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw have certainly risen to that challenge in the 15 days since that defeat in Spain. Both players have been exceptional and have made individual statements to the manager.
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With first-choice defenders Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane sidelined with injury, Shaw has been relocated to centre-back and his recent partnership with Lindelof has been key in preventing a disappointing result from becoming a disappointing run of form.
They were excellent together against Brighton, which ensured progression to the FA Cup final. Although the victory was thrown away against Tottenham, they emerged with credit again and they kept a clean sheet against a confident Aston Villa side.
United might have lost Martinez and Varane to injury, but the backline has delivered when Lindelof and Shaw have played. The pair deserve immense credit and especially so when considering they've both faced spells out of the team this season.
Shaw started the season against Brighton and Brentford but he did not start for another five games after the aberration in West London. Tyrell Malacia came into the side but was substituted at half-time in consecutive fixtures against Manchester City and Omonia Nicosia at the beginning of October and that gave Shaw an opportunity to reclaim his place.
In just six months, Shaw has gone from being usurped by Malacia to having the unwavering support of Ten Hag and following that poor start to the campaign, he's improved to the extent that he looks like a natural playing at centre-back.
He's been outstanding in that position and he kept Ollie Watkins, one of the most in-form strikers in the Premier League, quiet throughout the match on Sunday. It was another masterclass from Shaw, who 'enjoys' playing centrally.
Although Shaw's renaissance was confirmed months ago, his flawless relocation to centre-back emphasises the standard he's currently performing at and Lindelof, who slipped down the pecking order, has made a similar point over the last two weeks.
Just like Shaw, Lindelof's season hasn't been without personal disappointments. The Swede was third choice in the centre-back pecking order until the World Cup but he was forced to watch Harry Maguire take that status from at the beginning of this year.
The demotion of Lindelof in the pecking order came as a surprise but there is no doubt he has moved back ahead of his old partner in recent weeks.
Maguire overcame his poor start against Nottingham Forest last month but he was a protagonist in the Sevilla defeat and Lindelof, who converted the winning penalty in the FA Cup semi-final, has excelled since coming back into the side.
Ten Hag had a clear message to football director John Murtough when he first arrived: he needed to sign players with character. Those are the types of players he wants and Lindelof and Shaw have certainly displayed resilience this season.
They have overcome their individual challenges to become key in helping the side secure a strong finish to the campaign.
When the season ends, they can be proud of their contribution and they might yet have another trophy.
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