Manchester United manager Michael Carrick took heart from his team's resilience in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw at Leeds United, but his description of the result as a "step forward" underlined how far expectations have fallen during a difficult spell for the club.
One win from seven league games has left United languishing in 13th, a stark contrast to last season's third-place finish and evidence that their problems run deeper than a difficult week.
Carrick conceded they had fallen short of the quality they are capable of producing, particularly on the ball, but he found encouragement in the discipline and togetherness his players showed in the pressure of a fierce rivalry at Elland Road.
"Maybe if you talk about top quality, maybe it wasn't top, top quality I think we are capable of playing," Carrick said. "With the results we've had we weren't quite flowing but there's enough in there to take from it."
The greater significance for Carrick appeared to lie in how United responded to adversity.
After being outplayed in a 1-1 draw with bottom side Tottenham Hotspur last weekend and losing 2-0 at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, the build-up to Sunday's game was further complicated by Lisandro Martinez publicly criticizing the club hierarchy before apologizing.
Against that backdrop, Carrick placed greater emphasis on structure than style. United were harder to break down, and he praised his players for sticking to their roles and responsibilities in what he described as a tense game that could have gone either way.
"It's a bit more than just effort," Carrick said. "It is the way you go about it. The plan. The responsibilities. The roles. I thought the boys took that responsibility on really well for the most part."
Yet familiar shortcomings remained. United surrendered their lead from a set piece and lacked enough quality in possession to take control of the match, leaving Carrick with another draw rather than the victory his side badly needed.
After a week dominated as much by events off the pitch as those on it, however, Carrick was keen to stress that the dressing room remained united.
"I suppose you're looking at the togetherness, the spirit, the unit. I don't doubt that within the group," he said. "The way that we went about it today gives me a lot of belief in us moving forward."
United head to Como for a Champions League game on Wednesday.
