Jose Mourinho needs to do a lot better at Manchester United - 45 pathetic minutes showed that

Can human beings change? The question is as old as time, and its affirmative answer forms the basis of literature, theatre, cinema and religion. Real life, though, is more nuanced; of course, change is possible, but very few of us achieve it to any great degree. To keep going, we tell ourselves we have control over the decisions that we make, but, far more likely, we do whatever the chemical reactions in our brain tell us to do and are whoever the chemical reactions in our brain tell us we are.

José Mourinho has been manager of Manchester United for nearly ten months. During that time he has, along with his various other virtue trumpetings, virtue trumpeted the awesome responsibility now incumbent upon him: somehow forging a squad replete with entertainers into an entertaining football team. Mourinho being Mourinho, and born-agains being born-agains, he has proved incapable of evangelising his altruism without denigrating others less principled than he; this despite a side who are to goals as Theresa May is to craic.

And at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho felt under pressure, so immediately reverted to type. For the second consecutive game, the release of United’s team sheet was not entirely enlightening; rather, it looked as though he had simply transcribed a slew of names from the squad and presented them as some kind of impenetrable riddle. This time, the majority of solutions posited a 3-5-2 formation, but in the event, United lined up in a sort of 4-4-2 that went to a bizarre 6-2-2 when not in possession.

In theory, this was one way of exploiting Chelsea’s principal weakness – space out wide – and negating their principal strengths – swift breaks; in practice, United’s passing was so ponderous that it barely mattered.

So, though their general play was reasonable enough, they mustered just one shot in the opening half-hour.

Chelsea, meanwhile, forced David de Gea into two superb saves and Chris Smalling into one superb interception; the impression was that at some point, the brilliant Eden Hazard would establish the difference between the sides.

It is possible that United’s formation aimed to limit his effectiveness, as it is that they planned to foul him in rotation. It is certain that the way they lined up allowed him to receive the ball without pressure, and that they conceded too many unnecessary free-kicks, Matteo Darmian responsible for three inside the first 12 minutes. And, in the 35th minute another such incident settled the game.

Whether or not Ander Herrera deserved his red card is moot – he gave a referee who enjoys decisions the opportunity to enjoy a decision, and when you play snide, as he does, inevitably there will follow unjust punishments and fortunate reprieves. This time, he was on the wrong end of a marginal call, but that is not why United lost; they lost because of how they responded.

As soon he departed, Mourinho withdrew Henrikh Mkhitaryan in order to send on Marouane Fellaini - the kind of desperate move generally made only when a goalkeeper is dismissed. This delivered a simple message to both teams: United were abandoning all attempts to play football, and their manager could not trust them to avoid conceding, even for a single second – even though, if they did concede, more than half the game remained for them to resolve matters.

But it was not just that. With Mkhitaryan went United's most likely leader and finisher of counters, as well as one of their two out-balls; with Fellaini arrived, well…

He does not have the technique to exploit what little possession United were going to have, and he does not have the dynamism to compensate for numerical disadvantage; he was simply there to add clutter. Meanwhile Michael Carrick – and his composure, passing, and positioning – remained on the bench.

United emerged for the start of the second half well after Chelsea; the impression was of a plan being inculcated. Not so. They did nothing but defend, barely able to string two passes together; not entirely surprising, given a back-six containing Darmian, Smalling and Phil Jones.

So Chelsea helped themselves to a goal – quite how N’Golo Kante was given such a clear sight of it is not immediately obvious – and United responded by doing nothing, apparently happy to protect their goal difference. Of course, Mourinho’s desire to stay in the game while avoiding another hiding was understandable, but even in that context their second half performance was an undignified abomination, devoid of wit, enterprise, intensity and conviction; they played as though they were the only side in the history of football ever to go a man down.

No further change was made until the 81st minute, and United's third substitute remained unused despite the options of Carrick and Juan Mata. This was not the behaviour of a team trying to win a big game or find glory in uplifting defeat, let alone one defending a hard-won trophy; over the course of 45 pathetic minutes, their sweet FA Cup became the absolutely sweet fa FA Cup.

Typically, Mourinho, proclaimed himself “proud” of his team’s work, placating his club's supporters with the same sop. Herrera’s impetuosity allowed him to feel wronged, and delivered an excuse for the defeat that he probably feared all along. The truth is that United's elimination is not a disaster: they are not good enough to beat Chelsea, then two of Arsenal, Manchester City and Spurs. They ought, though, to be good enough to win the Europa League and finish in the top four of the Premier League. But to achieve either or both, they will have to do a lot better than this.