“Something has to change,” said Paul Pogba after United fell apart at Leicester.

The second-half turnaround against Atalanta suggests something did change: but not until they’d stumbled into a deeper hole.

Only the mercurial Frenchman knows if he was referring to the manager.

If so, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, whose reputation as a player was built on snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, showed that he’s still an accomplished escapologist.

Two-nil down for the first time ever at half-time in a home European tie (and to second-rate opponents missing five players), the knives were being unsheathed for the Norwegian.

There were not many boos at Old Trafford, to be fair, but social media was smouldering, and the press were sharpening their quills.

What we got after the break was a storming comeback completed by a trademark Cristiano Ronaldo header.

But for all the eulogies and swallowed quips about ‘luxury players’, it still felt like putting parchment over cracks.

The fissures are still there, and Liverpool are looming this weekend.

The season is still young yet United are already out of the easiest competition there is to win – the Carabao Cup.

They had won just two of their last seven games in all competitions before Wednesday’s tie.

And would have been bottom of their Champions League group but for Ronaldo’s last-minute winner against Villareal.

Another drama at the death was Mark Noble’s missed penalty that gave them an undeserved win at West Ham.

In the Premier League, they have slipped to sixth and after Liverpool, face Spurs and Manchester City.

But even as United fans celebrate another memorable escape, they must know they can’t continue like this.

Before the turnaround, Ronaldo was in full ‘What’s a galactico like me doing in a team like this?’ mode.

And even he knows he can’t keep pulling them out of the fire.

The defence had been sliced open and it still needed a David de Gea double save at 1-2.

But midfield is the greatest concern. Pogba was left out and formed a high-powered cavalry when he came on with Edinson Cavani and Jadon Sancho.

Fred and Scott McTominay had been the double pivot – journeymen toiling in vain behind the frustrated A-listers.

Cavani might be wondering why he stayed and Sancho why he joined: Ronaldo’s unexpected arrival having scuppered the £73m man’s chances of making a decent impact.

In his role as a pundit, Paul Scholes noted that “Jurgen Klopp would be rubbing his hands watching this.”

And he didn’t mean because he’ll get a handshake at the end.

The Reds also snatched a 3-2 midweek win, but the two games could hardly have been more different.

Even so, both got thorough workouts that tee up a tantalising Old Trafford clash at half past midnight on Monday morning in Malaysia.

Despite the impressive win, Liverpool’s defence showed a vulnerability that will concern Klopp and give United hope.

Even Virgil van Dijk was not his usual imperious self and had Alisson not been at his best in the one-on-ones, Atletico might have got something.

And a rare shout for VAR that did what it was intended for, twice putting right an inexperienced referee who might have been intimidated by the crowd.

Fabinho is likely to replace Naby Keita which will shore things up and, if Curtis Jones is fit, he should be in for James Milner.

While Liverpool aren’t quite water-tight at the back, United could be quaking in their boots at the prospect of facing Mo Salah.

But such are the accolades currently being showered on the Egyptian that Ronaldo’s hackles will have been raised.

Talk is rife that Salah is the best player in the world right now – something likely to engineer a response in both Manchester and Paris.

For more than a decade, Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have duked it out for the No 1 spot and the 11 Ballon d’Or awards between them are testimony to their dominance.

But now at 36 and 34 respectively, they’re in the autumn of their careers whereas Salah, 29, is at his peak.

In midweek, both Messi and Ronaldo showed they’ve still got plenty to offer but Salah seems to have reached another level.

He’s also benefitting from playing in a better team than the other two.

But any magic he tries at the weekend is likely to meet with a response in kind from CR7.

Their personal rivalry could be the highlight of what should be an intriguing battle.

Liverpool have to be favourites but Klopp will be wary of the firepower United possess.

And victory over their bitter rivals would buy Solskjaer another valuable chunk of time. Just as defeat would bring the critics out in battalions.

It’s three years that he has been in charge and one reason for his longevity is that the cupboard of suitable successors is unusually bare.

Antonio Conte is favourite with the usual suspects of Brendan Rogers and Mauricio Pochettino next in the betting.

Solskjaer is not yet in the ‘anybody but’ stage, but much may hinge on who wins the duel between Salah and Ronaldo.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.