And Cristiano Ronaldo’s sensational injury-time winner could not conceal the issues that the United manager is facing.

It was a miracle that United had reached the interval still goalless, the result only of some solid goalkeeping from David De Gea and some hurried finishing from the visitors.

But, Villarreal rectified that state of affairs after the interval and, regardless of the final result, this was an evening that was threatening to add to the growing air of disquiet around Old Trafford and the popular, but increasingly under-pressure, manager.

Ronaldo altered the mood music in typically dramatic fashion, of course, but that should not distract from the early-season issues that have plagued the Reds.

All summer, Solskjaer had promised that United’s patchy home form, that saw them win just one of their first six Old Trafford fixtures behind closed doors 12 months ago, would be consigned to the history books once their stadium was back to hosting capacity crowds.

It looked that way as United opened the season with nine goals in two home wins over Leeds and Newcastle but the past week saw United lose consecutive home games to West Ham and Aston Villa without so much as scoring a goal. In fact — apart from Bruno Fernandes’s woeful penalty miss in the Villa loss — they did not even look like scoring.

None of this was on the agenda when Solskjaer ended a summer of love between club and supporters by presiding over the jaw-dropping re-signing of Ronaldo, following the arrivals of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane.

How distant those feel-good days must have seemed for the United manager as they headed towards defeat until the 95th minute against Villarreal.

Wednesday night’s struggles confirmed what recent games had suggested may be the case. It may not always be clear what Solskjaer’s Plan B is but, far more worryingly, it often looks uncertain what his Plan A may be.

At least Solskjaer could point to a beautiful equaliser from Alex Telles, from Bruno Fernandes’s chipped free-kick, and the dramatic late win from his start asset.

But the end result could not completely ease the pressure from what has become a tough period for Solskjaer.

In the aftermath of the Villa loss, even Solskjaer’s friend and former team mate Gary Neville suggested the manager was under pressure although he qualified that by saying he had to deliver a trophy this season “or next” — hardly an outrageous prediction given that by the end of next season, Solskjaer will have been in charge for four and a half years.

The manager himself said all the right things in response to Neville’s comments claiming — as he has since his arrival — that the pressure of managing his beloved club is a “privilege.” But, tellingly, he was also forced to concede that the backing he has received in the summer transfer market was so considerable that Neville’s argument was valid.

Just as significantly, while he would not describe Wednesday night’s game as a “must-win” he did go as far as to say that United needed a victory to maintain hopes of advancing to the knock-out stages.

That made United’s listless exit from the Carabao Cup against West Ham all the more potentially damaging because, on current form, it is hard to make the case that they are potential winners of the Premier League, FA Cup or, more particularly, the Champions League.

Ronaldo will appreciate that point more than most. This was his 178th appearance in the competition — a record which he now owns outright having tied Iker Casillas’s old mark two weeks ago.

This was the Portuguese forward’s first Old Trafford Champions League night in a United shirt since the 2009 semi-final when he was part of the team that beat Arsenal over two legs before going on to lose to Barcelona in the final.

A five-time winner of the competition, Ronaldo knows this version of United is way below those dizzy heights — at the moment, at least.