Sir Alex Ferguson was indebted to the "genius" of Dimitar Berbatov after the Bulgarian's brilliant hat-trick floored Liverpool at Old Trafford.
Every single member of the United side had need to thank Berbatov at the end after they had tossed away a two-goal advantage against Merseyside opposition for the second weekend running, only for the former Tottenham Hotspur man to net the winner six minutes from time.
In some very perceptive programme notes, Ferguson suggested to lose a winning position once was bad luck, twice is downright careless.
Now Liverpool can be added to Fulham and Everton as teams United have thrown winning positions away against this season.
They were only spared the sight of Ferguson's fury stripping paint off the home dressing room because of Berbatov as his header denied Liverpool, who had levelled through Steven Gerrard's double.
he other part of Ferguson's pre-match missive was the declaration that "you must have faith and we are being rewarded this season for our confidence in a player who has a touch of genius about him".
Genius was an apt word to describe Berbatov's contribution, in particular the astonishing overhead kick that had put United two ahead midway through the second-half of a slow burner of a match that eventually turned into a classic.
The atmosphere was crackling at kick-off, although the early action failed to match it.
United did create one excellent opportunity, which Nani wasted when he fired wide after Wayne Rooney's shot had bounced kindly for him after striking Gerrard.
But the match was low on incident until Berbatov broke the deadlock by nodding home Ryan Giggs' corner at the near-post.
If defensive questions needed to be asked about that, there was nothing more to do than simply admire Berbatov's brilliance when he doubled his side's lead just before the hour.
It was almost impossible to believe it took just two touches to get Nani's right-wing cross into the net.
But it was precisely that. The first to control with his knee. The second to dispatch an overhead kick which left Pepe Reina rooted to the spot as it bounced in off the crossbar.
In any normal season, the contest would have been over.
However, there is a fallibility about United just now and Jonny Evans lunged in on Fernando Torres as the striker checked back inside the box.
On the second occasion, John O'Shea could count himself mightily relieved Webb did not reach for the red card once he decided the Irishman had dragged Torres to the ground just outside the box.
With both situations though, Gerrard found the corner of United's goal with precision, racing gleefully to the ecstatic visiting fans the second time around to hail a position he could not have expected his team would be in 10 minutes previously.
It looked like United had blown it. Berbatov had other ideas and rose to meet O'Shea cross to give his side victory.
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