With Carlos Tevez expected to be the fourth and final Manchester United signing of the summer, the Premiership champions are entitled to feel bullish about their prospects of retaining the title this season, yet this performance served as a reminder that it is in defence, and not going forward, where Sir Alex Ferguson's side can be exposed. A pre-season friendly watched by a record-breaking crowd saw Internazionale breach United's rearguard with alarming ease.
Three times Roberto Mancini's side scored in a first half when United struggled to contain the Serie A champions' slick counter-attacking. With John O'Shea in central midfield, Wes Brown featuring at right-back and Chris Eagles deployed on the right, this was far from United's strongest side. None the less, Ferguson was clearly surprised and disappointed to see United concede so sloppily against an Internazionale side who suffered a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal last Sunday. "Our defending in the first half was very poor," said Ferguson. "You will not win games, it doesn't matter who you are against, if you defend like that. In the first half they [the United players] were so open. We were all over the place when we lost the ball."
There was improvement after the interval, with Adriano heading into his own net to reduce United's arrears, prompting Ferguson to declare himself "happy with the work-out" 10 days before their first Premier League game.
Before then United have friendlies against Doncaster tomorrow night and Peterborough on Saturday, during which Owen Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson - acquired at a combined cost of £50m - are all likely to feature. None of that trio took part last night, denying the 73,738 packed inside Old Trafford a chance to see the new arrivals. Indeed, Ferguson indicated that he is likely to field a similar side to the one that took on Internazionale for Sunday's Community Shield.
He had welcomed this match because of the competitive edge it would provide, admitting afterwards that it had presented United's first major pre-season test after the tour of Asia last month. The manager has clearly emerged from the Far East in ebullient mood. The coming months will provide a more reliable test than 90 minutes against an Inter team who took full advantage of United's soft underbelly. With Paul Scholes and Hargreaves both watching from the sidelines United's midfield, featuring Michael Carrick and O'Shea at the hub, was overrun. Inter proved ruthless opponents, recovering from Wayne Rooney's 18th-minute low drive to strike three times in 14 minutes.
David Suazo, the Honduran forward signed for £6m from Cagliari, scored twice. The striker's first was a gift after a mix-up between Patrice Evra and Nemanja Vidic, and his second owed much to Marco Materazzi picking Cristiano Ronaldo's pocket. Zlatan Ibrahimovic linked with the enterprising Luis Figo before Suazo slotted past Edwin van der Sar. In between Ibrahimovic finished off another sweeping move which again left United floundering.
The Torygraph
It carried none of the swagger of last season's 7-1 demolition of Roma or the frantic breathlessness of the 3-2 win over AC Milan that was not enough to carry Manchester United to a European Cup final, but there was something compelling about another Italian night at Old Trafford.
This was another vastly entertaining evening overflowing with flair but also enough defensive errors to concern Sir Alex Ferguson as the Premiership's phoney war nears its end. A friendly it may have been, but Inter Milan asked rather more questions than Guangzhou Pharmaceutical and the rest of United's opponents in their Far Eastern tour put together.
The principal offenders were Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra, two of the most influential figures of last season's championship-winning side - although another defender, Rio Ferdinand, might have equalised had he not blazed into the stands from a few yards out.
Nevertheless, having opened a season at Old Trafford for the first time in four years with the Premiership trophy that was displayed alongside the considerably less brash and more elegant Serie A version, this was a relaxed summer evening in Manchester.
Once Wayne Rooney had opened the scoring, from a delightful dummy from Ryan Giggs, the decisive figure was a rather older Portuguese icon, who was winning world youth championships under Carlos Queiroz when Ronaldo was a toddler.
The Indie
Two highly-appropriate opponents will contest the first Community Shield at the new Wembley for, as with the venue itself, neither Manchester United or Chelsea are on schedule for their opening ceremony.
A flawless start was imperative to Sir Alex Ferguson in his efforts to prise the Premiership from Stamford Bridge last season and it should comfort Jose Mourinho to know he will not be alone in struggling to play his strongest hand this Sunday. While the Chelsea manager wrestles with an indecently early injury crisis, his United counterpart will struggle to fill the luxury substitutes' bench of the redeveloped national stadium on the evidence of last night's friendly defeat by Internazionale.
While the United team-sheet named just five players in reserve - all unused as Ferguson gave Sunday's intended line-up a full 90 minutes - the Old Trafford stands contained over £50m of summer acquisitions as Anderson, Nani and Owen Hargreaves nursed Copa American tiredness and respective injuries alongside the sidelined Paul Scholes. Doncaster and Peterborough, not the closest challengers to United's crown next season, await for the rested trio this weekend. Meanwhile, Carlos Tevez awaits the outcome of a High Court hearing on 22 August before discovering whether his acrimonious release from West Ham will lead to the English champions. Rarely has the traditional curtain-raiser appeared so premature.
There was a hug from Ferguson for opposite number Roberto Mancini following a defeat that exceeded the entertainment value for such fixtures and confirmed much of what we already knew of United - exhilarating on the break, but with an aversion to defending against prime Italian opposition.
Inter rekindled memories of their great city rival's Champions League semi-final performance against United last season in a first-half display that brought three goals. "Our defending was very poor in the first half and you'll not win any game, it doesn't matter who you are up against, if you defend like that," admitted the United manager.