Normal service has resumed for Manchester United’s £75m flat track bully.
Romelu Lukaku does not score in the big games, drew a blank against Manchester City when it really mattered last week, but was back to his usual self at the Hawthorns.
Lukaku scored the opener for his 15th goal of the season for United - his tenth in the Premier League - but has not scored against any of their top six rivals. He just scores against the strugglers for fun.
It might seem disingenuous to criticise a player who scored and played a part in the visitors’ second goal but we already seem to be picking the bones out of United’s season.
Second is nowhere as far as Jose Mourinho is concerned and, rather worryingly, they were even left hanging on in the dying stages at struggling West Brom.
It is easy to forget that this is actually United’s best start to a season since Sir Alex Ferguson left, they have got 41 points after 18 games - they had 33 at the same stage last year - and yet City are making everyone else look bad.
Even the United fans joined in as they poked fun at themselves after City’s players had posted a video on social media chanting: “Park the bus, park the bus Man United.”
The United fans added an extra line after Jesse Lingard made it 2-0 as they sang: “Park the bus Man United, playing the Mourinho way.”
Then the West Brom fans even started singing it ironically as United were left defending for their lives in the last 13 minutes after Gareth Barry pulled one back.
United not only expect big trophies, they also expect to win with style and it was more workmanlike at the Hawthorns which, in truth, is the Mourinho way.
They never really got the pulses racing despite United fielding an attacking line-up with Marcus Rashford, Lingard and Juan Mata behind Lukaku.
But they found West Brom resilient in the first half even if Alan Pardew’s men lacked much ambition until they changed it at the break, brought on Gareth Barry and later went to a 4-4-2.
However, it was too late by then as United had inflicted the damage. The first goal came after 27 minutes, Jonny Evans made a clearance, Oliver Burke did not do enough to stop Rashford providing the cross and Lukaku out jumped Kieran Gibbs in a horrible aerial mismatch.
Lukaku’s precision header flew into the top corner but the Belgium striker’s reaction was very strange. His celebration was rather muted after scoring against Bournemouth in midweek (they are in the lower half of the table, obviously).
It was the same again this time. Maybe he was still sulking after the criticism of his no-show against City or because he had a loan spell at West Brom and followed the ridiculous tradition of not celebrating against former clubs.
United doubled their lead after 35 minutes when Lukaku and Mata helped set up Lingard and his low shot was horribly deflected off Ahmed Hegazi past West Brom keeper Ben Foster.
It looked game over. But West Brom came out for the second half with more energy and determination. They battled and pushed United further back.
United looked vulnerable after Antonio Valencia hobbled off with a hamstring injury after 66 minutes and Rashford was booked after angrily confronting Hegazi after claiming he had been elbowed.
Ashley Young was lucky to escape not conceding a penalty after a blatant shoulder charge on Chris Brunt after unsuccessfully trying to shepherd the ball back to Foster.
It was rather symptomatic of the nerves in the United defence. That got even worse after 77 minutes when substitute Chris Brunt’s corner created havoc, Marcos Rojo clashed with Jonny Evans and then Barry calmly side footed home.
It set up a grandstand finish which left United clinging on. Jay Rodriguez went close and another Brunt corner created more mayhem after de Gea missed his punch.
West Brom showed character and fight to almost get themselves back into the game and they will need plenty of that if they are to survive.
United, meanwhile, look as if they are still licking their wounds after the City defeat which effectively ended their title hopes and it may take some time before they truly recover.