The first place to start was the substitutes’ bench. To gauge how upset Marco Silva has been with Everton’s dismal form, you only had to look at who never made the cut.

It is a long time since Everton have had £149million waiting in the wings but that was the case for Manchester City’s visit. Silva did not so much make changes for the arrival of the title favourites but purged his line-up of those who have been falling short.

Out went the two most expensive players in the club’s history, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Richarlison, the pair who cost a combined £89million; Cenk Tosun, the £27million striker, was another casualty, as was the man who has been captain, Seamus Coleman.

Everton boss Marco Silva gestures on the touchline during the 2-0 defeat by Manchester City

Summer signing Richarlison started on the bench as Silva attempted to change things up

He could have gone further: Theo Walcott was fortunate to retain his place, given how anonymous he had been in last Saturday’s 3-1 defeat by Wolves. Had Ademola Lookman been showing any kind of consistency, the former England man would have been jettisoned, too.

Brave or reckless? In the hour before kick-off, his decision polarised opinion. Yes, it is a manager’s responsibility to make big decisions but the easy thing for Silva to do against such high-profile visitors would have been to stick with what he knows.

Instead, he took a gamble. That word must be used as aside from the huge price tags, also on the bench were 22 Premier League goals. Everton have hardly been prolific this season but Sigurdsson and Richarlison have a combined haul of 19.

To emphasise the point further, the XI Silva sent into battle had scored 12 goals in total since August. Sergio Aguero, alone, had 14 for City. How, many wondered, were Everton supposed to compete in such circumstances?

Gylfi Sigurdsson was also dropped from Silva’s starting XI at Goodison Park on Wednesday

Dominic Calvert-Lewin started up-front but failed to trouble Manchester City’s defence

The key word, however, is compete. Everton have been horribly insipid over the last 10 games and the one thing Silva wanted to see was a performance that showed they could deliver some of fight that should come as second nature.

‘You know when we change something, it is not just because we were not happy with some things we did in the last game,’ said Silva. ‘It is a good opportunity to change. We have two games in four days. When we have the ball, we have to be ourselves. We need to be really solid and compact.’

There was another clue. With only two clean sheets since December 2, Silva tweaked his usual formation and played with a 4-1-4-1 system to try and nullify the swarming banks of laser blue shirts that were looking to cut loose.

For a while, it worked. You can tell things are not going as City want them to when Pep Guardiola emerges from his seat with blazing eyes and starts pointing and gesticulating wildly; he reached that stage after 20 minutes, as Everton tackled and worked with purpose.

Aymeric Laporte was left unmarked to head home City’s opening goal from a free-kick

Gabriel Jesus came off the bench to add a second for Pep Guardiola’s men late in the game

If Silva is going to make it work here – and there will continue to be doubts – he has to have courage in his convictions and the way his team started provided a measure of vindication; the willingness of youngsters such as Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Tom Davies and Jonjoe Kenny could not be doubted.

But no matter how bold Silva is with the teams he picks, he will keep making one step forward and two step backwards if Everton continue to be so utterly wretched at set pieces. They should have gone in all square but, in first half injury time, another simple goal put a pin in their hopes and Gabriel Jesus added a second shortly before the full-time whistle.

Everton have conceded 12 goals from set plays in the Premier League – 14 if you count penalties – and that is a quite abysmal statistic. Silva might have been pleased with the heart that his players showed but they were undone in such an unnecessary fashion.

He has proven he is ready to dispense with players, no matter their cost or their importance, if they do not meet his standards. What Silva must prove now is his ability to correct the mistakes that have left him in the spotlight.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is working tirelessly to restore the attacking ethos that was the hallmark of Sir Alex Ferguson’s great Manchester United sides.

And there are few greater examples of that philosophy than the masterclass Solskjaer himself produced at Nottingham Forest 20 years ago today.

United were leading 4-1 when the Norwegian striker came off the bench at the City Ground with 18 minutes of the Premier League fixture remaining.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer memorably scored four goals against Nottingham Forest 20 years ago

The Norwegian striker came off the bench to net four times in United’s 8-1 rout of Forest

Dwight Yorke, whom he replaced, and Andrew Cole had scored two goals apiece that afternoon but Solskjaer would eclipse them both by scoring four times in just over 10 minutes.

The Premier League tweeted out highlights of United’s 8-1 win – which remains the biggest away win in the competition’s history – and fans were quick to reminisce.

One wrote: ‘Lol he was so casual at treating a Premier League team like a group of seven year olds in the park.’

Another replied: ‘From Nottingham and the joke going around school the day after this match was ‘Forest fan bought eight pies on the way home, but he was so sad he only 8-1!’

One recalled: ‘Love how after this game Ron Atkinson [the Forest manager] said that Nottingham Forest had just been in a 9 goal thriller.’

Solskjaer scores United’s seventh goal past a stranded Forest keeper Dave Beasant

The record away win in the Premier League was a key afternoon in United’s Treble triumph

Solskjaer is congratulated by his team-mates after scoring one of his four goals that day

That afternoon on the banks of the River Trent was when United’s ultimately glorious Treble campaign really caught fire.

Ferguson’s side had been engaged in a cat-and-mouse title chase with Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal for months and had proved remarkably tough to beat.

A week before the annihilation of Forest, United had won at Charlton thanks to a last-minute Yorke goal – something that would become their forte – and midweek had seen a scraped 1-0 win over Derby.

But United were in full flow against Forest, taking just two minutes to take the lead when Yorke turned home a right-wing cross from Paul Scholes.

Forest actually equalised five minutes later through Alan Rogers but that proved the only negative in United’s afternoon.

Cole restored their lead less than a minute later, skipping around Forest keeper Dave Beasant before scoring from a narrow angle.

And United were home and dry against the relegation strugglers when Cole and then Yorke added goals after half-time.

Given their ruthless streaks, no doubt Cole and Yorke were both eying hat-tricks at that point but Yorke was taken off for Solskjaer, who trumped them both.

With 10 minutes left on the clock, he side-footed home from two yards after Gary Neville had played a cross through the six-yard box.

Solskjaer then beat the offside trap to gather David Beckham’s pass, seeing his attempted lob blocked by Beasant before pinging the rebound into the top corner.

The ball sat up nicely for Solskjaer to rattle in his hat-trick goal in stoppage time, taking United to seven goals.

Solskjaer would help Ferguson’s United win an historic Treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League that season

The Norwegian scored United’s stoppage time winner against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final 

The match programme from 1999

And when Scholes mis-hit a Nicky Butt cross in the muddy penalty box, Solskjaer was on hand to sweep home his fourth and United’s eighth at the death.

Remarkably, there were only 10 shots on target in the match by both sides – with nine finding the net for a conversion rate of 90 per cent.

United were unstoppable from then on, remaining unbeaten in the league to pip Arsenal by just one point after a dramatic final-day win over Tottenham.

Ferguson’s side also won the FA Cup, defeating Newcastle 2-0 in the Wembley final, and the Champions League, where Solskjaer’s stoppage-time goal defeated Bayern Munich in one of the most dramatic finishes to any final ever.

How Solskjaer will wish for something similar now he is in charge at Old Trafford.

What happened to the man who came on with Solskjaer?  

John Curtis comes on alongside Solskjaer during the win at Nottingham Forest

John Curtis came on for Roy Keane at the same time as Solskjaer’s introduction.

The versatile defender could play anywhere along the back four or in midfield and made a total of 14 league appearances for United having graduated from their academy.

But breaking into such a talented side proved impossible and Curtis went out on loan to Division One side Barnsley the following season before moving to Blackburn in 2000.

Curtis later played for Leicester City, Portsmouth, Nottingham Forest, QPR, Wrexham and Northampton Town.

Liverpool will not summon Nathaniel Clyne back from his loan at Bournemouth despite their current injury crisis.

As Sportsmail reported last month, the deal Liverpool sanctioned for Clyne to move to the Cherries for the remainder of the season did not include a recall option so the possibility is out of the question.

Jurgen Klopp is now down to the bare bones of his resources with six players on the sidelines as they approach the business end of the season.

Liverpool did not include recall option in Nathaniel Clyne’s loan deal to Bournemouth

The injury crisis has had a significant impact on Liverpool’s defensive options with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dejan Lovren and Joe Gomez all currently unfit.

It has forced Klopp to put together a makeshift back four over the past few weeks and is threatening to derail their challenge for the Premier League title.

Alexander-Arnold, who is back training but is not yet fully recovered from his injury, has given Klopp huge issues with Jordan Henderson and James Milner both starting in the right-back position in their last two league games.

Jurgen Klopp has had to delve deep into his resources amid Liverpool’s current injury crisis

Right back Trent Alexander-Arnold is back training but is not yet fully recovered from his injury

Clyne would have offered suitable cover at right back and Liverpool’s decision to allow him to leave without including a recall clause could now have dire consequences.

Liverpool’s lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League has been cut to just three points after two disappointing draws against Leicester and West Ham and the pressure is beginning to ramp up.

Klopp will hope his side can relieve some of it by getting back to winnings ways when they host Clyne’s Bournemouth on Saturday.

The on loan Liverpool defender will however play no part in the match as he is ineligible. 

Clyne could have offered suitable recovery but Klopp has had to play players out of position

Liverpool’s title tilt took another hit with Michail Antonio’s goal earning a point for West Ham

The feelgood factor at Old Trafford is back under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who has revealed he’s taken the workaholic approach that made legendary figure Sir Alex Ferguson so successful.

Since Solskjaer’s appointment as interim manager in December, United have enjoyed a stellar run of unbeaten results – winning nine of their 10 games in all competitions.

Solskjaer’s methods have been compared to his legendary mentor Ferguson, and the Norwegian is even adopting his working hours as he strains every sinew to restore the club to it’s former glories.

Marcus Rashford arrives to training on Wednesday as Manchester United prepare for Fulham

Paul Pogba was another spotted arriving for training at the club’s Aon Training Complex

Jesse Lingard was present – fresh from spending Tuesday in London for a media event

‘Now I understand why the gaffer [Sir Alex Ferguson] used to be in so early,’ he said in an interview with Sky Sports when asked about the demands in the hotseat.

‘How did I manage to sleep so long when I was a player? It’s all that I hoped for and expected really. And a little bit more.’

Like Ferguson did, Solskjaer also spoke of squad rotatition as the club have to contend with the Champions League and FA Cup as well as fighting for a top-four position.

‘I knew the gaffer was like that. I have always been like this myself back home in Molde. You do plan ahead and I think I have got my team quite ready for the full month,’ he added. ‘Depending on form as well, I think I have more or less picked my team.

‘You have got to have different ways of winning games and with our squad you can pick players who suit this team and that team. Goals are scored by counter-attacks, set-plays and breaking teams down when they drop deep, so you need to have all those three aspects.

‘You have to find a way to win a game. That’s not up to me or (coaches) Mick [Phelan] or Kieran [McKenna] or Michael [Carrick] to tell them beforehand. Every game is different. We might score the first goal and it’s a different game.’

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed he has adopted Sir Alex Ferguson’s workaholic approach

Ferguson would spend long hours every day at United during a trophy-laden 26 years there

After their ‘blip’ against Burnley, Manchester United are back to winning ways following their 1-0 triumph at Leicester on Sunday. 

And Solskjaer had his players back in for training on Wednesday morning as they prepared for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Fulham.

Marcus Rashford, the matchwinner against Leicester, was among those seen arriving to their facilities at the Aon Training Complex.

The forward is in a rich vein of form as is Paul Pogba who assisted him on Sunday and was also present for training.

Alexis Sanchez started in United’s 1-0 win at Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday

Romelu Lukaku came on as a substitute but will be hoping to play from the start at Fulham

Jesse Lingard gave a thumbs up on his way to Carrington – fresh from spending Tuesday in London at the launch of a media event.

The aforementioned trio started in attack with Alexis Sanchez and the Chilean was spotted driving into training.

The likes of Chris Smalling, Fred and Andreas Pereira didn’t play a part at the King Power Stadium but will hope to stake their claim for a first-team place at the weekend.

Diogo Dalot was another who didn’t feature and will be hoping to push forward his case against Fulham. The defender was spotted driving into training with a phone case with a picture of himself in action for United on the back.

United will move into fourth place with victory at Fulham and could remain there if Chelsea lose at Manchester City on Sunday. 

Fred faces a battle to usurp Pogba, Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic in United’s midfield

Chris Smalling didn’t feature against Leicester but will hope to stake his claim for Fulham

Diogo Dalot drove into training with a phone cover of himself in action for the Red Devils