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Manchester United have placed a banner directly behind the Stretford End goal, where supporters would normally congregate.
It carries a quote attributed to the legendary Manchester United boss Sir Matt Busby, which says: “Football is nothing without fans.”
And on cold nights like this, with the passion removed from what is traditionally one of the most intense occasions in British football, the message carried more weight than usual when Manchester United and Manchester City played a heartless and depressing derby at Old Trafford.
279 days ago, United beat City 2-0 against a packed and boisterous Old Trafford, dealing decisive damage to their archrivals’ Premier League title aspirations last season.
This was yet another graphic example of how times have changed and there must be a measure of sympathy for the players performing in such a sterile atmosphere rather than the pure theater that was seen on March 8th.
Even the addition of 2,000 fans under the new rules has transformed the atmosphere within the stadiums where they are allowed to attend, but with Manchester locked in at level three and no supporters allowed at all, this was enacted in front of vast empty stands accompanied by the soundtrack of screaming players and backroom staff on both sides.
Any fan wishing to be here could have been quickly put off by the overly cautious and cat-and-mouse approach of Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola.
This was a game that started, ended and not much happened in between. The local honor was satisfied in a very unsatisfactory match.
There are likely to be games that fans will miss more than most; even the presence of a small number would have lifted the atmosphere and at least provided some positive impulse for two teams seemingly more determined not to lose than to win.
The fans may have provided that extra layer of inspiration, especially in a few uneventful final minutes, but this is the current weather and ultimately this game got the result it deserved.
The goalless final result seemed inevitable for most of the second half, which only came out of its slumber when referee Chris Kavanagh awarded a penalty after Kyle Walker’s lunge knocked down Marcus Rashford.
If there was excitement for a few seconds, it was soon over when the VAR stepped in to correctly rule that Rashford was offside before being brought down by Walker.
And that was it basically.
Manchester United will be glad they didn’t lose after RB Leipzig’s mistake-laden defeat sent them out of the Champions League midweek.
Solskjaer can rightly point to a decent position in the Premier League, but there is no doubt that new and perfectly understandable questions were again raised about his management at the elite level following a chaotic performance in Germany.
This was a solid display from Manchester United, but lacked threat, once again seen from the sidelines for Ajax’s £ 40m acquisition of Donny van de Beek.
As United fought for a creative spark and Solskjaer entrusted the work of the midfield to the likes of Fred, Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay, you must have wondered what you need to do to get started.
On the other hand, he might have been glad to be beside himself as these 90 minutes of scum unfolded.
Manchester City were clearly not in the mood to be caught on the fast break, as was the case when Solskjaer’s United made a Premier League double on them last season, but took an advantage from their own attacking efforts.
It resulted in a surprising lack of ambition on either side, opportunities and quality almost non-existent, with even Kevin de Bruyne’s probes unable to generate serious opportunities.
The final whistle sounded to polite applause from onlookers and backroom teams, but this was a world away from the usual sound and fury of a Manchester derby, a situation reflected in the timid approach on the pitch.
United are now just four points behind leaders Tottenham, hardly a crisis position considering the criticism that has rained down on them this season, while City are one point and one place adrift.
This, however, was a desperately poor show, stripped of the kind of excitement associated with both teams in this match, and the lack of atmosphere and encouragement from the Stretford End and the rest of Old Trafford played their part.
The fans’ return to some fields only underscored how much they had been missed – their absence here for this terrible Manchester derby accelerated the point.
