We should have known better than to believe Wimbledon. No spirit, no style and no hope they told us, just a listless version of that insolent team of a decade ago. What a dastardly trick to play on Manchester United, who joined in the fun by starting as if it was 1986 and lost their way.
For all its shock value, there was a reassuring predictability about this result. The original Crazy Gang may have gone, but a Crazier Gang could emerge yet. "The spirit and character has been questioned," said the captain Kenny Cunningham. "We laid that ghost to rest today."
Others went with it. For a side supposedly conditioned to leave spectators in a neck brace, Wimbledon played as if the ball was made of lead. Passes rolled across the midfield rather than over it. And no, Egil Olsen did not make his players scribble "I must use the long ball" 100 times on the way home.
"There's been no evidence of it at the training ground," Cunningham said, though they hardly need nudging in that department. Route one, Olsen confirmed, must be the weapon when faced with a wall of organised defence. On the counter-attack slick, quick forward movement is the key.
With more composure Wimbledon might have won, for twice in the second half Massimo Taibi saved one-on-ones. As Olsen said: "They had more chances but we had the big chances." Not for a while, though, will Olsen feel the Egil has truly landed.
"We have a long, long way to go," he insisted, playing down internal criticism of his methods and saying he had fielded dissenters in his Norway sides. "Manchester United were really unbalanced a couple of times but we used too much time on the counter-attack. We passed too much and allowed them to get on the right side again." As against Croatia Zagreb, Alex Ferguson's injury-affected side dominated possession but managed only a draw. It was asking too much of Philip Neville to fill Roy Keane's boots and, with David Beckham rested and Ryan Giggs picking up an injury crosses were poor and possession often squandered.
More worrying for United, Giggs could now be out for several weeks with a pulled left hamstring. But the ill wind did blow somebody good giving Jordi Cruyff the chance to re-launch his Old Trafford career in the 30th minute. With Jesper Blomqvist injured and South African Quinton Fortune on international duty, the Dutchman is now United's main left-sided midfielder. Wimbledon, meanwhile, helped themselves by defending deeply, but Ferguson admitted: "We played into their hands. . . there was a lot of carelessness in our game".
Carl Cort had already forced a good save from Taibi when he turned Mikael Silvestre and crossed for Walid Badir to score his first Premiership goal. By the time Cruyff exchanged passes with Paul Scholes and rounded the impressive Neil Sullivan to score in the 74th minute, United must have feared the equaliser would never come.
MANCHESTER UNITED: Taibi, Irwin, Berg, Stam, Silvestre, Neville, Scholes, Giggs (Cruyff 30), Solskjaer (Cole 68), Sheringham, Yorke. Subs Not Used: Bosnich, Wilson, Wallwork. Goals: Cruyff 73.
WIMBLEDON: Sullivan, Cunningham, Blackwell, Andersen, Thatcher, Badir, Roberts, Euell, Gayle, Cort (Jupp 80), Hartson. Subs Not Used: Davis, Kimble, Earle, Leaburn. Goals: Badir 16.
Referee: R Harris (Oxford)
