Sir Alex Ferguson said he took no pleasure from condemning Leicester and Dave Bassett to the First Division but it is safe to assume he has other issues on his mind this morning. Undeserving winners Manchester United may have been, but victory maintained the pressure on Arsenal ahead of more pressing midweek matters.
Although Ferguson has not given up on a fourth successive title, the Champions League now consumes him. His understrength side told of that. Four wins out of four will guarantee him the trophy, unlike in the Premiership. With Deportivo La Coruna arriving on Wednesday 2-0 down, even less is required.
If United play as poorly as this, they could regret those missed chances in Spain. Then again, with the substitutes Ryan Giggs and Ruud van Nistelrooy sure to start, Ronny Johnsen and Fabien Barthez returning and David Beckham and Juan Sebastian Veron hopeful of shaking off injuries, it would be foolish to read too much into these events.
Ferguson will nevertheless be praying that Nicky Butt did not sustain concussion or an injury from a late knee to the head, which forced him off. The midfielder's defensive contributions will be vital against Deportivo, particularly in the absence of Roy Keane.
If Ferguson needed a reminder of Keane's importance, he got one on Saturday when the drive of his play and captaincy were missed and their first-half display in particular was rhythmless and flat.
Laurent Blanc twice got away with casual errors and only two Roy Carroll saves and a few Leicester misses ensured United a clean sheet. They will surely show greater focus against Deportivo, who beat Real Mallorca 5-0 on Saturday.
Paul Scholes, suspended on Wednesday, did offer a consistent attacking threat from midfield but it needed the arrival of Van Nistelrooy to spark the needed improvement. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's sharp finish from a poorly defended long throw followed not long after.
For Leicester it was apt relegation came on the day Martin O'Neill was celebrating a second successive championship at Celtic. This evening the Irishman brings his team to Filbert Street for a friendly. If someone attempts to chain him to the dugout do not be surprised.
In the two years since O'Neill departed, Leicester have gone from four successive top-10 finishes and League Cup triumphs to bottom. Peter Taylor and Bassett did not fill his shoes; they got trampled by them. Today Micky Adams starts his attempt to reverse the decline.
The fans sounded ready to support Adams but tonight's return of O'Neill, Neil Lennon and Steve Guppy will make them wonder what might have been. The sale of key personnel, bad buys by Taylor and the loss of O'Neill's man-management and organisation have been damaging. "The biggest factor is Martin O'Neill's departure," said Robbie Savage.
There was resignation and defiance in the air on Saturday, rather than anger. Leicester's relegation, like the Queen Mother's death, has hardly come as a shock. Unlike for the nation's favourite grandmother, though, there were no tears. Nor did the team want sympathy. "We deserve to go down," said Gary Rowett.
Adams has promised a "summer of change" and there will be enforced sales. Only Muzzy Izzet, Matt Elliott, Ian Walker and the tireless Savage can harbour genuine hopes of a Premiership move. Adams surely shares Rowett's view on departures. "If anyone wants to go, get rid of them," the defender said.
While Leicester looked to the future, United were drawing strength from the past. "Going back five or six years, I think the way we won the championship was with this type of game," said Gary Neville.
With Arsenal still to come to Old Trafford, United are well placed to take advantage of any slips. This type of game will not win the Champions League but Wednesday will surely see a different United.
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