A shock for Manchester United fans: David Moyes is on the brink of the best start for a Red Devils manager in modern times.

Moyes insists he is still enjoying the club and, bizarrely, victory over Liverpool in the Capital One Cup third round at Old Trafford would mean he has enjoyed the best start to his tenure of any United manager since Sir Matt Busby.

Not that there was much consolation to be gained in such spurious facts in the immediate aftermath of the Manchester City debacle.

"Yeah, it did," said Moyes, when asked in the manner of defeat had shocked him.

"But when you're a football manager for the length of time I have been you are always going to have shocks."