The Frenchman was typically industrious in the middle of the park, battling hard to try and gain us a foothold in that very congested area. When the ball was moved forward into more advanced areas, the attacking players on show struggled to break down a pair of solid defensive outfits, which explains why Kante felt the outcome the right one.

‘It was a difficult game for both teams,’ he said.

‘It was tight in the midfield, it was difficult to get chances, so I think a draw is a fair result. It’s a good thing we got a clean sheet away from home, but we wanted to win this game. It was possible.

‘We managed to move very well the midfield of Manchester United, but it was more difficult to create chances. We take a point.

‘To not concede a goal is the first step, and now we need to score more and do the right things to win the game in the future.’

We were indebted to Edouard Mendy for a pair of superb stops that denied Marcus Rashford a goal in the latter stages of each half, and Kante was delighted to see his new team-mate make such a positive contribution between the posts.

‘He made some decisive saves. He helped us keep the clean sheet. It’s good for him, for his confidence, and good for the team.

‘I hope he can keep going in this way and continue not conceding any goals.’