As has happened before when these two meet, the postmatch witnessed all sorts of shenanigans in the tunnel. The Football Association will open an enquiry and the police say they could be involved as well.

But before we apportion blame (and at the risk of revealing secrets), bear in mind that the accounts you read come from the two club's media officers, whose job it is to quickly establish the facts (possibly without having directly witnessed them) and to put out their version of events.

So whether Mourinho went over to politely ask Manchester City to turn down the volume on the Oasis songs they were playing in their dressing room (on the speakers they had helpfully brought along) before being confronted by Ederson, or the United manager bursting into City's inner sanctum to berate City's goalkeeper and spoil their party remains to be seen. And no, the truth isn't always in the middle. Sometimes people flat-out lie.

What we do know is that those involved say it was worse than the now famous "Pizzagate" incident involving Sir Alex Ferguson and cheesy projectiles. Multiple reports noted that City coach Mikel Arteta sustained a cut to his face, but let's wait for the powers that be to establish the facts. Equally, let's remember that if you live by the sword, you die by the sword.

Mourinho has a history of mind games, of ratcheting up pressure, of rubbing people's noses in it. Maybe this was his way to make a statement, refocus his team and show that he was willing to take the fight to the opposition in a way that his players weren't. Or maybe he just lost his cool. (Or maybe, as in one version of events, he was an innocent bystander.) Whatever the case, history and perception matter in how people react to you.