Before they can even think of plotting a course back to the summit of English football, what Manchester United need and crave more than anything is respectability. No more embarrassment. No more inquests. No more failure.

Respectability means a lot in football. It gives you something to build from. It gives you breathing space. It gives you time to think.

At Old Trafford recently there has not been enough of any of that. It’s why their manager Erik ten Hag often wears that weary, confused look. It’s why players not in the team have started to whisper and plot and cause ripples on the surface. It’s why United have started telling reporters they can’t come to press conferences.

Panic and fear and over-reaction live in the spaces that respectability leaves behind. So that is why nights like this one are important. United were not perfect against Chelsea. They were vulnerable at times and not always terribly clever when they didn’t have the ball. But Ten Hag’s players left nothing out there in terms of effort and they won the game against a desperately flawed Chelsea team by playing the type of forward thinking, quick football that has lived in the club’s traditions for so long.

This was a very strange game but it was exciting. Gary Neville spoke at the weekend about being bored by United but there was nothing dull about this. It could and probably should have been 4-4 at half-time. Instead, it was 1-1 but no less gripping for that.

Man United beat Chelsea 2-1 after an entertaining encounter at Old Trafford on Wednesday

Scott McTominay scored a brace to take his tally for the season in all competition to six goals

United moved up to sixth with the victory and are just three points off Man City in fourth

Man United 2-1 Chelsea: Match facts

Man United (4-2-3-1): Onana; Dalot, Maguire, Lindelof (Reguilon 46), Shaw; McTominay, Amrabat; Antony, Fernandes, Garnacho (Evans 90+3); Hojlund (Rashford 84)

Substitutes not used: Bayindir, Mainoo, Martial, Pellistri, Van de Beek, Wan-Bissaka

Manager: Erik ten Hag

Scorer: McTominay 19+69

Booked: Shaw, Garnacho, DSalot, Reguilon

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Cucurella (James 46), Disasi, Silva, Colwill; Caicedo, Fernandez; Sterling, Palmer, Mudryk (Broja 77); Jackson

Substitutes not used: Petrovic, Badiashile, Castledine, Washington, Gilchrist, Maatsen, Matos

Manager: Mauricio Pochettino

Scorer: Palmer 45

Booked: None

Referee: Chris Kavanagh

United – with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial on the bench after their poor displays in Saturday’s defeat at St Jame’s Park – were the better team early on. Bruno Fernandes had a penalty saved in the ninth minute by Robert Sanchez after Enzo Fernandez was spotted standing on Antony’s foot by a VAR check. But United still pressed on to lead ten minutes later.

Fernandes – a fine player for all his faults – spotted Alejandro Garnacho’s run on the left overlap and when his cross reached Harry Maguire, a first time shot rebounded to Scott McTominay. A touch to control the ball was followed by a shot to score and United were deservedly ahead.

Chelsea were all over the place in the centre of the field. They could not keep the ball. Down their own left side, meanwhile, Garnacho was terrorising Marc Cucurella. McTominay was twice denied by Sanchez – a header and a follow up – just after the half hour but by then Chelsea were threatening too. United lack legs in centre field and here it showed as Mauricio Pochettino’s team cut through them on two or three occasions.

Mykhailo Mudryk struck a post after a mistake from Sofyan Amrabat while Nicolas Jackon was denied point blank by Andre Onana after Raheem Sterling put a chance on a plate. Mudryk then pulled another chance wide.

Old Trafford was alive as the game ebbed and flowed and for the United supporters served such thin fare this season, that must have felt good. Less welcome was Chelsea’s equaliser that arrived in the 44th minute. Mudryk turned well in to space in the centre of the pitch and fed Cole Palmer in the area.

The recent England debutant had red shirts for company and needed a sound first touch. When it came, he was able to create the space he needed to pivot and screw a low shot across Onana and in to the far corner with his left foot.

It was a huge result for the under-pressure Erik ten Hag after United’s recent performances

Bruno Fernandes missed a penalty on nine minutes when Robert Sanchez saved his spot kick

Enzo Fernandez was adjudged to have fouled Antony after Chris Kavanagh went to the screen

It was a disastrous start but the Portuguese star didn’t let it impact upon his performance

McTominay opened the scoring when he fired home on the rebound with his left foot

This, then, was not a night without questions for United. A missed penalty and then a lead cancelled out. This group have players have buckled in the face of less. Here they briefly looked as though they may surrender the initiative early in the second half. Palmer became the most influential player on the field for a while and began to stretch United down their own left side.

It wasn’t a switch of pattern that lasted, though. United gathered themselves and Garnacho was the game’s most regular source of danger. When he crossed from the left with 21 minutes left, McTominay left Chelsea captain Levi Colwill on the floor to head in at the Stretford End from six or seven yards.

Colwill – Chelsea’s third captain in three games – appealed for a foul and VAR had a look. But the young defender just hadn’t been anywhere near strong enough. It was, in truth a pretty, lame defensive effort that was reasonably reflective of his team’s overall contribution in that area.

There was still time for a scare as Chelsea substitute Armando Broja headed against the bar in injury time. But United edged over the line and left their manager with something more encouraging to ruminate on.

Ten Hag said: ‘We wanted to send this message to crowd. We are going in the right direction. This team will be good and this project will be good.’

Cole Palmer continued his fine form as he equalised just before half time with a smart finish

But McTominay restored United’s lead as he headed home Alejandro Garnacho’s cross

Mykhailo Mudryk hit the post in the first half, but the Blues went down to another away defeat

Marcus Rashford was dropped by Erik ten Hag after his dismal showing against Newcastle

For Chelsea, Pochettino’s outlook is also long-term. With his team in tenth place, he has no choice.

‘We need to improve in our position but the result was fair,’ said the Chelsea manager.

‘They were better. Maybe 10 per cent more.’

United now sit in sixth, only three points behind Manchester City. McTominay is their top league scorer. Strange times indeed in Manchester and beyond.