Those hoping to become the first mayor of the Liverpool City Region have less than a month remaining in which to secure your vote.

Liverpool City Region, in case you were wondering, includes Merseyside's five councils (Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens, and Wirral) as well as Halton in Cheshire.
Who are the eight candidates desperate for your support on 4 May, though, and what are their priorities?
BBC Radio Merseyside's political reporter Claire Hamilton has produced a potted biography for each of them.
We're also asking all of them for a "minute manifesto" video.
Candidates are listed below in alphabetical order
Roger Bannister, Trade Union & Socialist Coalition
Veteran trade unionist Roger Bannister believes the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority should never have approved the contract for a fleet of new driver-only Merseyrail trains. He says he would seek to reverse this decision. He also believes local authorities have passed harmful austerity budgets on people struggling to make ends meet. He stood for Liverpool city mayor in 2016, coming fourth with 5% of the vote.
Paul Breen, Get the Coppers off the Jury
Paul Breen is a resident of Norris Green, Liverpool and became the last candidate to be nominated. He is listed as treasurer of the party on the Electoral Commission's website, with Patricia Breen listed as deputy treasurer. He has not yet released any material detailing his manifesto but told the BBC the title of his campaign speaks for itself. He simply does not believe that police officers should be allowed to serve on juries.
Mr Breen declined to provide a "minute manifesto"
Tony Caldeira, Conservative
Born in Liverpool and educated in St Helens, Tony Caldeira started out working on a stall selling cushions made by his mother at Liverpool's Great Homer Street market. His business expanded and now operates in Kirkby, distributing world-wide. Mr Caldeira has stood for Liverpool mayor twice, coming sixth in 2016 with just under 4% of the vote. He has pledged to improve the area's transport network, speed up the planning process and build homes and workplaces on brownfield sites rather than green spaces.
Carl Cashman, Liberal Democrats
Born in Whiston, Knowsley, Carl Cashman is leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Knowsley Council. He and his two Lib Dem council colleagues were elected in 2016, breaking a four-year period when Labour was the only party represented. Aged 25, he's the youngest of the candidates. Mr Cashman believes maintaining strong ties with Europe and the region will be key, and has pledged to open a Liverpool City Region embassy in Brussels. He also wants to better integrate ticketing across public transport and make the current Walrus card more similar to the Oyster card used by Londoners.
Tom Crone, Green Party
Tom Crone is leader of the Green group on Liverpool City Council. He won 10% of the vote in the mayoral elections in Liverpool in 2016 and came third. Originally from Norwich, he has lived in Liverpool since 2000 after arriving as a student. Mr Crone is keen to see a shift away from traditional heavy industry in the city region towards greener "tech" industries. He's also passionate about making public transport more affordable and environmentally friendly. He says he'll look to prioritise new routes for cyclists and pedestrians.
Tabitha Morton, Women's Equality Party
Tabitha Morton was born in Netherton, Sefton. She left school with no formal qualifications, and started work at 16 at a local market, and later in cleaning. She was taken on for NVQ training by a company in Liverpool, and stayed on to train others. She now works for a global manufacturer, in what she describes as "a male-dominated industry". She says she would prioritise grants for employers offering equal apprenticeships for young women and men and ring-fence funds for training women in sectors in which they're underrepresented.
Steve Rotheram, Labour
Born in Kirkby, former bricklayer Steve Rotheram was a city councillor in Liverpool and also Lord Mayor during the city's European Capital of Culture year in 2008. He was also elected MP for Liverpool Walton in 2010, and re-elected to the seat in 2015. Mr Rotheram is pledging to cut the cost of the fast tag for motorists driving through the Mersey tunnels. He wants to improve education and offer better careers advice for young people, and also wants to make brownfield sites more attractive to developers.
Paula Walters, UKIP
Wallasey-born Paula Walters is chairman of UKIP in Wirral and lives in New Brighton with her family. She has campaigned to scrap tunnel tolls for several years. She says her local UKIP branch is one of the most thriving in the North West. A civil servant, she studied English and biomolecular science at degree-level. She has also lived in South Africa where she attended the University of Pretoria. She believes Liverpool city centre has attracted money at the expense of outlying areas, one of the things she wants to tackle.


Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says he will feel "less guilt" if his side get a tough draw in the Champions League last 16 after they topped Group A.

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The Gunners have exited at the first knockout stage for the past six years, having finished second in their group in five of those campaigns.
But they topped their section thanks to a 4-1 win in Basel and Ludogorets' shock 2-2 draw at Paris St-Germain.
"We wanted to do our job and got lucky with the PSG result," Wenger said.
Arsenal will avoid Monaco and Barcelona, who eliminated them in 2015 and 2016 respectively, as well as Atletico Madrid and Napoli in Monday's draw.
However, teams they could still be paired with include Bayern Munich, who knocked them out in 2013 and 2014, and one of Borussia Dortmund or Real Madrid.
"We can still have a difficult draw," said Wenger. "But there's less guilt when you finish first in the group because you feel you have done your job and you play the second leg of the first knockout tie at home.
"It is what we wanted but, at the moment, the difficulty of the draw will not be much different."
Arsenal's win in Switzerland came thanks to a Lucas Perez hat-trick, the Spaniard more than doubling his Gunners goal tally after making a £17m move from Deportivo La Coruna in August.
He twice tapped into an empty net, and got his third with a neat finish from just inside the 18-yard box.
"The first two were quite easy goals, created by the team," said Wenger. "But the third goal is a real striker's goal.
"He scored over 20 goals in Spain last year and tonight he showed why. He has a real eye for goal."
BBC Sport chief football writer Phil McNulty
Arsenal's success in topping their group is a tribute to their growing resilience, which saw them draw home and away to PSG in games where they were forced to suffer and battle for long periods.
They also showed the swagger when they needed it to ruthlessly put Basel away to fulfil their side of the bargain while Ludogorets delivered the big favour in Paris.
The different facets the Gunners have shown in coming out on top of the group suggests increasing maturity in Arsene Wenger's team and more justification for his belief they can make their mark in the Champions League this season.
The Guardian, Metro, Daily Star and I newspapers all led with Arsenal on their Wednesday back pages.


To celebrate International Migrants Day, Marcia Chandra invited members of the British public to a story booth, allowing them to tell their stories and offer up messages of greeting for arriving refugees.

"When I came here as a student nine years ago I felt that I had come into a very multicultural society and really wanted to be part of it.
"I miss the food in Morocco and being around people who have known me my whole life, but London is my home now. My closest friends from university and from Morocco live here now, my values align more with London and I love being in a very multicultural environment where you get to meet people from all ends of the world."
"Although I left Ireland 57 years ago, I still regard this country as my home. My family has moved back and I miss them. They're part of my identity.
"Family is my community and has structured who I am."
"It's interesting the opportunity that moving home has given me to start over and edit my story and identity in fresh and exciting ways.
"I have moved about four or five times in my life; I've lived in countries in Africa, Asia and now, Europe. Flowers at my bedside, warmth, the smell of garlic and a sense of familiarity and light jazz music - that is home. A place of comfort, safety and beauty and a non-judgemental space where you can stare at the ceiling and know it's OK."
"What makes me feel comfortable here is that I can sleep in peace. I can walk alone at night with my handbag. There is no dust, no insects. Food, shelter and security are abundant."
"Getting to know a new place, learning a new language, landing a job, making new friends… these are processes that everyone goes through. It's just a matter of time before you start feeling at home."
"My father sought asylum in the UK after the Iranian revolution. This country welcomed him with open arms. Community here is about listening to each other's stories and treating each other with compassion and respect. I hope you find the same things here when you arrive."
"I love the diversity in London. When I'm on the bus - hearing different languages, seeing different faces - that richness is one of the things I find most beautiful about London.
"Welcome to the UK. I hope you find friends, safety, a community for yourself and become part of this tapestry of London life."
"My move to the UK from a village in Pakistan was a huge culture shock. My teacher was very helpful. She became another mother to me and encouraged me to work hard. I didn't even know how to write an essay, yet she gave me the courage to achieve. She made me realise that anything is possible.
"We who come from a Third World country often feel like we can't compete but we have all the abilities to accomplish our dreams."
"Moving from Turkey at a young age, I was excited to experience England. This ability here to experience two different cultures and feel safe in both - has made me feel like a global citizen.
"As an academic I am connected to friends and colleagues from all over the world and being part of this one global community is an honour and a privilege. I hope one day everyone can have this feeling of inclusion and belonging."
"We met when we were doing our master's degrees and are still friends. Don't believe the media narrative about people's perceptions of refugees and migrants. The average person on the street is friendly and accepting, and the UK is a very diverse place.
"Most people here are open and interested in who you are. Be yourself and, if you feel like it, share your stories."
"My grandfather came here just after World War Two, invited by Her Majesty to come and rebuild the country. He is now 90 years old, has five children, 12 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
"When he arrived he worked in a factory making nuts and bolts to rebuild the East End. He realised that the food he was used to from India was not available, so he decided to do something about it and opened a shop to sell homemade food. The best thing you can do is to bring your food and recipes here. The UK loves food. We want to welcome you with food. Let's share some recipes."
"There is no one way to be a part of British society. The people here have so much heart and joy and wonder. People here will help connect you to the community. Being in Britain doesn't mean telling each other how to be, but sharing who you are with others.
"With shared experiences, we avoid misunderstandings and judgement, and we build a community together."


The doctor who attacked his former New York hospital workplace had resigned in 2015 after being accused of sexual harassment, reports said.

Henry Bello had also been convicted of sexual assault a decade earlier, the New York Times reported.
He opened fire with an assault rifle in the Bronx-Lebanon hospital, killing a female doctor and injuring six other people, five of them seriously.
He then shot himself after attempting to set himself on fire, police said.
Some New York newspapers quoted a doctor at the hospital as saying Bello had vowed revenge on his colleagues after he left.
"We fired him because he was kind of crazy," Dr Maureen Kwankam told the New York Daily News newspaper. "He promised to come back and kill us then."
In 2004 Bello was charged with sexual abuse and unlawful imprisonment after a 23-year-old woman said he had grabbed her crotch outside a Manhattan building, the New York Times reported.
Bello walked into the 1,000-bed hospital at about 14:55 local time (18:55 GMT) with an assault rifle hidden inside his white medical coat, reports said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said the attack had been a "horrific situation in the middle of a place that people associate with care and comfort".
Several of the injured are "fighting for their lives," he said.
The attack began on the 16th floor and all the victims were shot on the 16th and 17th floors.
An assault rifle was also discovered nearby, which a local politician separately said appeared to be a military-grade M16 rifle.
Messages on social media spoke of doctors and nurses barricading themselves inside the building in the Mount Hope district.
One patient in the radiology department, Felix Puno, tweeted: "Building is in complete shut down, I was in the middle of getting an X-ray when security alerted us to the active shooter situation."
Garry Trimble, whose fiancÃ©e works at the hospital, said security was not good enough.
He said: "I can walk through the back door with an employee. If the employee opens the door, I can walk in. I think every hospital should have one police officer at each entrance. They only ever do something when something happens."
Bronx-Lebanon is a private, not-for-profit hospital that has been operating for 120 years.
Shootings at hospitals are not common, but there have been several such instances in recent years.
In 2015, a man entered a Boston hospital and asked for a cardiologist by name, shooting him dead when he arrived. During the investigation, it emerged that the man's mother had previously been a patient at the hospital.
In July 2016, another man opened fire in a patient's room at a Florida medical centre, killing an elderly woman and a hospital worker. The suspect was later deemed to suffer from mental health issues, casting doubt over his competency to stand trial.
In July last year, a patient at a Berlin hospital shot a doctor before turning the gun on himself. The city had also seen a shooting outside another hospital earlier in the year, in which no-one was killed.


The oldest person in Britain celebrates her 112th birthday, just three days after assuming the mantle.

Gladys Hooper, from Ryde on the Isle of Wight, became the country's oldest person on Thursday following the death of Ethel Lang, who was 114.
Mrs Hooper is the UK's most senior supercentenarian according to the Gerontology Research Group records.
On learning of her achievement, she said: "I am surprised, I thought I was just the oldest person on the island."
Mrs Hooper, who has four grandchildren and six great grandchildren, was born in the same year as the Wright brothers invented the first aeroplane.
Asked about the secret of her longevity, she said: "I have always been busy, I prefer being busy than being idle, that's what I don't like about now, I can't get about like I used to.
"I have always lived a straight life, never done stupid things. I have never gone beyond the limit, always been active. I think always being active keeps you young.
"I have done what I wanted to do and helped others as much as I could.
"I do not feel anything like the age I am, I do not feel any different to when I was 70," Mrs Hooper said.
Born in Dulwich, south east London on 18 January 1903 she was the oldest, and now the only surviving member, of six siblings - five girls and one boy.
She was brought up in Rottingdean, east Sussex and went on to become a concert pianist before starting a car hire business in the 1920s.
She later ran Kingscliff House School, which is now Brighton College.
After being widowed in 1977 she moved to the Isle of Wight two years later to be near her son Derek Hermiston, an 84-year-old retired pilot.
Members of Mrs Hooper's family travelled from across the UK and as far away as British Columbia to be with Gladys for her big day.


The promise of more powers for Holyrood made little difference to the outcome of the independence referendum, according to a new report.

Academics from Edinburgh and Essex universities commissioned a survey of several thousand voters.
The results indicated that just 3.4% of "No" voters saw "The Vow" as the main motivation for their decision.
A spokesman for the SNP said polling immediately after the September vote produced a different result.
The new research by the Centre on Constitutional Change found the biggest factor identified by opponents of independence in making their decision was "feeling British/believe in the Union", cited by 29.5%.
Other factors highlighted included:
Factors identified by Yes voters in explaining their defeat included:
Report co-author Ailsa Henderson, of the University of Edinburgh, said: "There is clearly a divergence between the perception among Yes voters that the offer of more powers was an important aspect of the campaign and reality of how No voters reached their decision.
"The issue of 'more powers' is not cited as the main reason for voting No.
"However, Yes voters are convinced it caused a loss of nerve leading to support for the Union."
Her colleague Dr Rob Johns, of the University of Essex, added: "The trajectory of opinion during the campaign suggests that the drift back to No predated the famous 'Vow' on the Daily Record's front cover.
"It is not unusual for a misleading narrative to develop about what swung an election or referendum. According to our data, anyone who thinks 'it was the Vow wot won it' is exaggerating, to say the least.
"However, once these narratives develop, they can be hard to shift. We may well see the effect of this one when voters turn out for the general election in May."
YouGov questioned 4,849 people between 22 August and 17 September, 2014. They surveyed another 3,719 people from 22 to 26 September.
Scottish Conservative chief whip John Lamont said: "All three pro-UK parties came up with plans for a more powerful Scottish Parliament before the referendum and, whoever is in power after the general election, those powers will be delivered to make Holyrood a more responsible and accountable parliament.
"Contrary to Alex Salmond's bluster, we have all been good to our word on delivering these powers."
A Scottish Labour spokesman commented: "While it is interesting to carry out these academic exercises, at the end of the day a substantial majority of the electorate voted to stay part of the UK."
A spokesman for the SNP said: "While we were disappointed with the result of the referendum, this study shows that a clear legacy has been greater political involvement, particularly amongst young people, and that is something to be proud of.
"Polling conducted immediately after the referendum showed that a quarter of No voters regarded the promise of extra powers as important in informing their decision - and nearly 10% of No voters only made up their mind in the last week.
"Undoubtedly, the Westminster parties published the Vow because all of their information indicated that it would have a big impact on the result."


A lorry driver who killed a British holidaymaker in a crash in Crete has been described as "inhumane" for appealing against his conviction.

Glen Daly, 24, of Essex, was riding a moped when he was hit by a lorry in June 2009.
Stefanis Konstantino, then 46, was convicted in 2013 of negligent homicide and fleeing the crash. He was sentenced to 23 months in prison.
Mr Daly's mother, Dorothy, said she dreaded the court hearing in June 2016.
Under Greek law, Mr Konstantino was not required to serve time in prison but was able to complete his sentence by paying a fine to the court.
He had pulled out of a layby, hitting Mr Daly, and drove off.
The court's sentence angered Mrs Daly, her husband Les and son and daughter, who travelled to Heraklion for the case.
Speaking to the BBC, Mrs Daly said they would return to Crete and hear the same harrowing evidence just four days after the anniversary of Glen's death.
It is understood his lifelong friend Tony Atkins, who was holidaying with him and was riding a separate moped, will also be required at the hearing.
"As if it is not enough what we have been through already," said Mrs Daly, of Chadwell St Mary, near Grays.
"I still find it very hard to come to terms with.
"That inhumane driver has destroyed our lives, and denied my son his life, and he still wants us to go through the court again.
"That driver took my life when he took Glen's. Nothing has changed for me since the 6 June 2009, when Glen died.
"I'm just existing, getting through every day.
"I can't get it out of my mind, reliving every day what happened to Glen - why the lorry driver pulled out when he did, and seeing Glen in the mortuary."
Mrs Daly said should Konstantino win his case the family would appeal the decision in the Supreme Court.
"I made a promise to Glen the day he died and when we visited him in the Chapel of Rest, that I will never stop fighting for justice, even down to my last breath," she said.
Mrs Daly has previously said the original criminal case would not have come to court were it not for her family's dogged persistence in finding witnesses.
In 2012, Konstantino was found responsible for Glen's death in a civil case brought by the Dalys.
The family's Crete-based lawyer, George Kopidakis, said a defendant had the right to appeal against a court's decision without justification.
He said he believed the driver's conviction would be upheld.


A controversial programme that could have seen persistent content-pirates have their internet access cut off, has been stopped in the US.

The Copyright Alert System (Cas), notified internet subscribers whose accounts had been used to download copyrighted content for free.
Copyright holders hailed the scheme a success, despite its closure.
But critics said there was no evidence to show that the system had brought down piracy levels.
Content bodies, such as the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America ) and the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) have long lobbied for greater punishments for content-stealing and finally agreed the "six strikes" plan with several of the US's large internet service providers in 2013.
Under the scheme, millions of notices were sent to consumers believed to have downloaded content without paying for it.
The system was complex - the first two notices were purely educational, the third and fourth required a response from the consumer and on the fifth and sixth notices, consumers might face punishments - such as having their internet speeds throttled. This was left up to the internet service provider, which could also terminate the account if it wanted to.
The Center for Copyright Information, which administered the system, explained that it had now been dropped.
"After four years of extensive consumer education and engagement, the Copyright Alert System will conclude its work. The programme demonstrated that real progress is possible when content creators, internet innovators and consumer advocates come together in a collaborative and consensus-driven process."
Little information was available about how successful the scheme had been although it appears that no action was taken against those who received six strikes.
According to the Center for Copyright Information, 1.3 million alerts were sent out in the programme's first 10 months and fewer than than 3% of those were sixth strikes.
MPAA lawyer Steven Fabrizio said in a statement: "While CAS demonstrates that a significant number of users who received alerts stopped engaging in piracy, fulfilling CAS' educational goal, a persistent group of hard-core, repeat infringers are unlikely to change their behaviour.
Ernesto van der Sar, editor of piracy news website TorrentFreak told the BBC, copyright holders and ISPs have been working on an improved version of the Cas for more than a year but had failed to reach agreement.
"In recent years a lot of copyright infringement has moved away from BitTorrent networks to streaming and direct downloading, which isn't covered by the programme. This has made the warning system less effective on a grander scale," he said.
In May 2015, the Internet Security Task Force, which represents a range of film studios, criticised the system as ineffective.
It used the example of the film Expendables 3 which it claimed had been illegally viewed "more than 60 million times".
Mr van der Sar added: "The news doesn't reflect well on the Get it Right programme, which is the UK equivalent of the Copyright Alerts System without the mitigation measures."
UK ISPs have just begun sending out warning emails to customers identified as having their connection used for illegally downloading content. The notifications advise consumers about legal alternatives, rather than threaten any form of punishment.


The BBC is launching 11 new language services and one of them is English-based Pidgin, which is one of the most widely spoken languages across West Africa, even though it is not officially recognised.

The Oxford English Dictionary definition of Pidgin is: A language containing lexical and other features from two or more languages, characteristically with simplified grammar and a smaller vocabulary than the languages from which it is derived, used for communication between people not having a common language; a lingua franca.
Simply put, Pidgin English is a mixture of English and local languages which enables people who do not share a common language to communicate.
Most African countries are made up of numerous different ethnic groups who do not necessarily have a lingua franca, so Pidgin has developed.
It is widely spoken in Nigeria, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon.
There are differences, because English is mixed with different languages in each country but they are usually mutually intelligible.
A form of Pidgin has developed into a mother tongue for the Krio community in Sierra Leone, which non-Krios can find difficult to understand.
"It's quite fluid, it keeps changing all the time and it's expressive as well," says Bilkisu Labran, head of the new BBC language services for Nigeria.
"Sometimes, if you don't have a word for something, you can just create an onomatopoeic sound and just express yourself. And it will be appreciated and understood.
"I can talk about the gun shots that went 'gbagbagba' and you get my gist. So it vividly captures it instead of describing or trying to find a word to say: 'The gun shots were very loud'."
Also, Pidgin hardly follows standard grammatical rules so "you can lose things like verbs", by saying: 'I dey go' to mean 'I'm going'.
Other examples are:
It is difficult to know the precise number of speakers across the region as it is not formally studied in schools and is spoken in varying degrees of proficiency.
But many millions of people undoubtedly speak it on a daily basis, especially young people.
Nigeria is estimated to have between three and five million people who primarily use Pidgin in their day-to-day interactions. But it is said to be a second language to a much higher number of up to 75 million people in Nigeria alone - about half the population.
Although it is commonly spoken, Pidgin is not an official language anywhere in West Africa.
In many schools, children are disciplined if they are caught speaking Pidgin, rather than English.
However, some local radio stations do broadcast in Pidgin.
West African Pidgin English, also called Guinea Coast Creole English, was a language of commerce spoken along the coast during the Atlantic slave trade in the late 17th and 18th Centuries.
This allowed British slave merchants and local African traders to conduct business.
It later spread to other parts of the West African colonies, becoming a useful trade language among local ethnic groups who spoke different languages.


Warren Gatland's British and Irish Lions coaching reputation will be on the line in Saturday's decider against Australia, says ex-Wales captain Gwyn Jones.

The teams are tied 1-1 after the Lions won the series opener and the
Jones says Gatland must ponder changes beyond those forced by injury.
"The final Test... will define Warren Gatland's coaching career with the Lions," said pundit Jones.
Parling is lightweight and ineffectual as a second row, so I wouldn't be surprised if there's a change there
The former Llanelli and Cardiff flanker, whose career was ended by a serious neck injury in 1997, believes Gatland is likely to replace injured skipper Sam Warburton with Ireland's Sean O'Brien.
But he says if fit, England prop Alex Corbisiero (calf) and Wales centre Jamie Roberts (hamstring) should come in.
Jones would also select Wales number eight Toby Faletau ahead of Ireland's Jamie Heaslip and Wales hooker Richard Hibbard's added scrum power over England's livewire Tom Youngs.
And Jones also says England lock Geoff Parling, who took over from injured Irishman Paul O'Connell (broken arm) for the second Test defeat, should also make way.
"I think Parling is lightweight and ineffectual as a second row so I wouldn't be surprised if there's a change there," said Jones.
"And I think if you're going to pick a big team to scrimmage Australia to win the final Test, I think Hibbard probably comes into the reckoning.
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"And for me, I think Faletau has been the better eight than Heaslip.
"But then you're making seven changes to the team for the final Test, the deciding Test; and the Test, really, that will define Warren Gatland's coaching career with the Lions.
"And that's a big gamble to make for 80 minutes of rugby - to completely change half your side.
"I don't know if we'll see that many changes, but there will have to be at least four or five.
"He's not that much of a gambler. He's bold occasionally with individuals."
Jones doubts the Lions will change their powerplay approach - dubbed "Warrenball" in the Australia media - or that Warburton's Wales open-side rival Justin Tipuric will earn a Test start.
"The natural replacement for Warburton would be O'Brien, who plays the same type of game as a competitive tackle-area seven rather than the more open and looser player that Tipuric is," said Jones.
"Having said that, the last game anyway was run by Australia.
"It was open, it was fluid and in those sorts of environments I think that Tipuric would be more effective.
"But I doubt whether he'll get the start."


Torrential storms have struck the north west of England's transport system and caused the postponement of Manchester City's Champions League game.

Twenty thousand properties in Lancashire were left without power after a high voltage fault.
The Metrolink suspended all tram lines due to lightning strikes and Manchester Airport had to divert incoming flights.
Surface water caused delays on the roads and to trains in the region.
Electricity North West said homes in Colne, Burnley and Nelson have been affected by the power cut.
The Environment Agency issued a number of flood warnings for south Manchester, with Fallowfield, Chorlton-cum-Hardy and Rusholme among the areas affected.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) reported "high numbers" of 999 calls made after the storms hit.
GMFRS said it received 106 calls between 18:30 and 20:00 from people reporting flooding and weather related issues.
They included a woman and children trapped inside a car in flood water under a railway bridge in Stockport and electrical faults caused by flooding water.
Manchester Airport was unable to accept any incoming flights during the height of the storm and had to divert a number of planes to other airports.
Manchester City's Champions League group clash at home to German side Borussia MÃ¶nchengladbach was postponed less than half an hour before kick off due to a flooded Etihad Stadium pitch.
It has been rearranged for 19:45 BST on Wednesday.
The cosmetics counters at Manchester's Harvey Nichols department store were flooded as well.
Meteorologist Mark Wilson said there was a lot of rain in a "very short space of time" in the region and "a lot" of thunder and lightning.
Mr Wilson said: "Prestbury had 32.4mm of rain in an hour - which is pretty exceptional."
He added the band of rain and thunderstorms looks set to push eastwards into Yorkshire and up to Scotland over the course of the night.


West Bromwich Albion striker Brown Ideye's return to international football has been stalled by a 'minor injury' that has forced him out of the Nigeria squad for two friendly matches next week.

Ideye has not played for the Super Eagles since November 2013 and he also missed out on the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
He was named in a 28-man squad for Nigeria's fixtures against Uganda and South Africa on 25 and 29 March respectively.
We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see Ideye when the Nations Cup qualifiers start in June
But the 26-year-old did not play in his club's 3-0 loss at Manchester City on Saturday, with West Brom medical staff telling Ideye he would be out of action for a week.
As a result, he was forced to withdraw from the squad on Sunday, according to Super Eagles officials.
"A minor injury has forced Brown Ideye to pull out of the Super Eagles friendlies against Uganda and South Africa," national team spokesman Toyin Ibitoye told BBC Sport.
"It's only a minor setback for him. We all know it would have been a good return to the international fold after a long absence.
"But his health is more important. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see Ideye when the Nations Cup qualifiers start in June."
Ideye has scored five goals in 24 appearances for Nigeria.
In 2013, he helped his country clinch their third Africa Cup of Nations title, scoring in the 4-1 semi-final victory over Mali.
A member of their 2010 World Cup squad in South Africa, Ideye was omitted from the Nigeria squad that reached the second round at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.


The UK goods trade deficit shrank to its smallest amount in almost a year in June, official figures have shown, helped by a rise in exports.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the gap between imports and exports narrowed to £8.1bn in June, down from £8.7bn in May.
The ONS also said construction output grew more in the second quarter of the year than it had first estimated.
The data rounds off a week of positive economic news.
The trade gap in goods with non-EU countries fell sharply from £4bn in May to £2.6bn in June, well below forecasts of a £3.8bn deficit.
UK manufacturers have been urged to trade with countries outside Europe - which have been growing far more quickly in recent years - rather than with those in the eurozone, where growth is much weaker.
However, the UK's single biggest trading partner remains the eurozone.
Although the UK usually imports more goods from other countries than it exports, it normally makes more from services sold abroad than it imports, and taking this into account the overall trade gap, including both goods and services, was £1.55bn, the lowest since January.
Over the three months to June, export volumes grew by 5.9% almost twice as fast as the growth in imports.
June exports were worth £26.9bn, taking the total for the three months to the end of June to £78.4bn, a record sum.
"This positive trade data supports our view that the manufacturing sector will gain momentum and will be a source of growth for the UK economy over the coming years," said Rachel Pettigrew, senior economist at the EEF manufacturers' organisation.
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said the fall in the trade gap was "welcome", but added that the deficit was "still too large".
"We aren't making enough progress in rebalancing our economy towards net exports," said David Kern, chief economist at the BCC.
"Our recent surveys reveal huge untapped potential among British exporters, especially in the service sector, and unleashing this potential will help to secure a sustainable recovery."
Separately, the ONS released data on construction output, showing it rose by 1,4% in the three months to the end of June, up from the previous estimate of 0.9%.
Earlier in the week, ONS figures showed that manufacturing output rose in June at the strongest pace since the end of 2010.
Other surveys have also pointed to strong growth in the service sector and in retail sales.


Two men and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man was found dead in Essex.

The victim, 78-year-old Brian Hurry, was found at an address in Bramwoods Road, Chelmsford, on Saturday, Essex Police said.
The arrested woman, aged 41, and the men, aged 24 and 43, all from Chelmsford, are being held in custody.
Investigators are at the scene, which remains cordoned off. A post-mortem examination is yet to take place.


A new railway station is to be built in a Derbyshire town after the scheme got government backing.

The proposed £6.5m station in Ilkeston is one of four schemes that successfully applied for money from a £20m Department for Transport fund.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said the scheme had been awarded £4.5m from the New Station Fund.
The station will open in 2014 and will connect Ilkeston to Northern Rail's Sheffield to Nottingham route.
Mr McLoughlin, who is also a Conservative MP for Derbyshire Dales, said: "Ilkeston is one of the largest towns in the country that doesn't actually have a railway connection.
"The truth of the matter is we've seen massive growth on the railways over the past 15 years. The pressure on me as secretary of state is to provide more services."
Ilkeston once had three railway stations but lost the last one in 1967 after it was axed in the Beeching Report.
The new building will be located near the site of Ilkeston's last station.
It will have two platforms, automated ticket machines, a 150-space car park and a taxi rank.
Jessica Lee, Conservative MP for Erewash, said: "This is fantastic news for Ilkeston. We need a station to help people get out and about for training and jobs and also to bring businesses into the town. I have no doubt at all, this is a real win for the town."
Derbyshire County Council has agreed to provide £750,000 of funding for the station. Additional contributions will come from Erewash Borough Council and other funding sources.
Glennice Birkin, a Labour county councillor for Ilkeston, said the fact the scheme was going ahead was wonderful news. "People have signed petitions for years and years to get a station in Ilkeston," she said. "I imagine it will be very popular."
Other new stations to benefit from the funding were schemes in Newcourt in Devon, Lea Bridge in London and Pye Corner in Newport.


A cat pining for its holidaying owners had to be rescued after spending six days stuck 40ft (12m) up a tree.

Tom the cat had taken to the tree near his owner's home in Sawston, Cambridgeshire, on Friday, while being looked after by a neighbour.
Having tried everything to get the forlorn feline down, they eventually called the RSPCA who turned to the county's fire service to rescue him.
Tom was safely back on all four paws on solid ground after about an hour.
Officers from Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service came to Tom's rescue at about 13:45 BST on Wednesday.
"The cat was about 40ft up in a tree. We had to cut through brambles to even get to the tree," crew commander Jason Leach said.
"The owners were away on holiday and the neighbour who has been looking after him tried everything to get him down."
The neighbour had done the right thing by not attempting to rescue the moggy themselves, he said.
"It is important members of the public do not attempt to carry out rescues which could put themselves in danger," Mr Leach said.
The cat was said to be none-the-worse for his ordeal, although "a little hungry".
"We're happy Tom the cat is safe, and hopefully he won't go on any more adventures while his owner is on holiday," Mr Leach added.


According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a significant proportion of all the fatalities in armed conflicts around the world last year were in wars in the Middle East.

By far the most numerous victims of violence in these conflicts were Muslims.
Another study looking at six conflicts worldwide in 2012 - in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen - found that the majority of armed/insurgent groups involved had a jihadist ideology.
While the world as a whole is arguably becoming less violent, certain regions, in particular the Middle East, are going in the opposite direction.
It is in that context that Tunisia's declaration of a state of emergency - a week after the mass killings in Sousse - takes on added meaning.
Tunisia's leader blamed the poor security in neighbouring Libya for the country's problems.  He also took aim at the international community for what he claimed was a lack of resolve in tackling the so-called Islamic State.
He said Tunisia was a target because it had a functioning, secular democracy and that terrorists posed an existential threat to the nation.
It is recognition of the scale of the radical jihadist threat in countries, big and small, throughout the region.
The scale of the long bloody war in Syria, the ongoing battle for control of parts of Iraq, and the collapse of Libya have inadvertently taken attention away from the growing threat to stability and security elsewhere in the region.
Tunisia is not alone.  Algeria is another country that continues to face sporadic violence. Serving as the gateway between Africa and Europe, it has been torn by conflict over the last half-century.
Although political violence has declined since the 1990s, the country has been shaken by a campaign of bombings by a group calling itself Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
Similar but separate jihadist groups have emerged in recent years throughout the Sahara region, reinforced by weapons obtained through militias operating in neighbouring Libya.
In Mali, jihadist insurgency continues. Earlier this year, militants attacked the northern town of Nampala, killing five people. The militants have been fighting the Malian army for a number of years.
The latest phase of the insurgency began after a French-led military intervention in 2013, aimed at driving out jihadist militants from towns they had seized in northern Mali and declared to be an "Islamic state". The French military action dispersed but did not destroy the extremists, and sporadic attacks have continued.
Egypt under President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, the former military chief, is cracking down hard on internal threats, perceived or real.
The Muslim Brotherhood is outlawed and its leading lights face execution. Yet the regime faces a growing jihadist insurgency in Sinai. The most lethal insurgent group seems to be Sinai Province, and was previously called Ansar Beit al-Maqdis.
It is an affiliate of IS, and has operated there since 2011. The group has launched frequent attacks against security forces and military infrastructure, and seems to have adopted some of the techniques used by IS in terms of recruiting new members using online propaganda.
Libya is a failed state, overrun by militias and with no real functioning government. Increasingly though, the country is posing even bigger problems for its neighbours, serving as a pathway for weapons and Islamists intent on exporting terror further afield.
Jordan remains perched on a delicate precipice. It lacks wealth or natural resources but has been a dependable strategic ally for America and others in the Middle East. But militant groups have established a growing presence on Jordan's borders with Syria and Iraq.
The country has a long history of trouble with extremist groups. IS carried out the killing of a captured Jordanian pilot earlier this year. Some 2,000 or so Jordanian nationals are believed to have joined jihadist groups in Iraq and Syria. King Abdullah is in the sights of the extremists, in part for joining the international coalition against IS.
The conflict in Syria shows no sign of an early resolution and highlights yet again how conflict within one country can ignite much wider repercussions.
From week to week the apparent winners and losers change form. It's increasingly hard for outside observers to know who is fighting who.
This is because Syria has become a proxy war between regional powers -Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran - as much as a fight between the Assad regime and its various opponents, of which the jihadists - split into at least two groups - are but one.
Some observers speak now not so much of a generational Sunni-Shia conflict but more of a Cold War between Sunni power Saudi Arabia and Shia rival Iran.
To understand what's going on in the Middle East, they say, requires us to look at everything through this prism.
In this analysis, Iran has emerged as a stronger power in the wake of the 2003 Iraq war. It now has a wide influence throughout the region, in particular over Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.
The Saudis, according to this thesis, have belatedly woken up to the Iranian threat. They are fighting back by supporting Iran's enemies in Syria and Iraq and more recently anti-Iranian factions in Yemen.
The conflict in Yemen - bloody and in danger of being forgotten by the wider world - can also be seen through this prism, although a temporary ceasefire has just been put in place.
The Saudis are determined to persist with their military action in Yemen, bombing the Shia Houthi rebels in that country, to ensure that Yemen does not fall under the influence of Iran (although the stated aim is to restore the government)
The Saudis accuse Iran of arming the Houthis, something which the Houthis and Iran deny.
Same too for the uneasy peace in Bahrain, home to the US Fifth Fleet, and a small but important battleground for bigger regional forces.
It too potentially lies at the heart of a tussle between Iran and the Saudis. The country's Sunni monarchy, backed by the Saudis, rules over a restive Shia majority population, many of whom look to Iran.
Here too, say some observers, a Sunni-Shia conflict might just as plainly be stated as a Saudi-Iranian stand-off.
All in all, the populations of the Middle East find themselves victims to spreading conflict within and beyond their borders.
The very meaning of nationhood, say some, is under threat from the resurgence of sectarian and ethnic identities.
The extremists are filling the vacuum.


Defending champion and Britain's former world number one William Fox-Pitt has withdrawn from next month's Badminton Horse Trials.

Fox-Pitt, 47, made the decision after his intended Badminton ride, Parklane Hawk, fell at a cross-country event at Weston Park earlier this month.
In a message posted on his website he said: "I have decided that we have run out of time for Badminton."
He won Badminton last year aboard the stallion Chilli Morning.
Fox-Pitt, Britain's most successful rider with 20 major championship medals, was placed in an induced coma after a serious fall in France last October.
The 2016 Badminton Horse Trials take place between 4-8 May.


Andrea Iannone won the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg to claim his first Moto GP victory.

The Italian Ducati rider, 27, finished 0.938 seconds ahead of compatriot and team-mate Andrea Dovizioso to give the team its first win since 2010.
Reigning world champion Jorge Lorenzo was third, while fellow Spaniard Marc Marquez was fifth but retains his lead in the overall standings.
Britons Scott Redding and Bradley Smith finished in eighth and ninth.
Austrian MotoGP result:
1.  Andrea Iannone (Ita) Ducati  39 mins 46.255 seconds
2.  Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Ducati +0.938 seconds
3.  Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha +3.389 seconds
4.  Valentino Rossi (Ita) Yamaha +3.815 seconds
5.  Marc Marquez (Spa) Honda +11.813 seconds
6.  Maverick Vinales (Spa) Suzuki +14.341 seconds
7.  Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Honda +17.063 seconds
8.  Scott Redding (GB) Ducati +29.437 seconds
9.  Bradley Smith (GB) Yamaha +29.785 seconds
10. Pol Espargaro (Spa) Yamaha +37.094 seconds
Also:
15. Cal Crutchlow (GB) Honda +1 minute 3.246 seconds
Overall standings (after race 10 of 18):
1.  Marc Marquez (Spa) Honda  181 points
2.  Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) Yamaha 138
3.  Valentino Rossi (Ita) Yamaha 124
4.  Dani Pedrosa (Spa) Honda 105
5.  Maverick Vinales (Spa) Suzuki  93
6.  Andrea Iannone (Ita) Ducati 88
7.  Andrea Dovizioso (Ita) Ducati 79
8.  Pol Espargaro (Spa) Yamaha 78
9.  Hector Barbera (Spa) Ducati  65
10. Scott Redding (GB) Ducati 53
11. Eugene Laverty (Ire) Ducati 53
12. Aleix Espargaro (Spa) Suzuki 51
13. Jack Miller (Aus) Honda 42
14. Bradley Smith (GB) Yamaha 42
15. Cal Crutchlow (GB) Honda 41


Cyclists and drivers are being asked to find ways to share Bristol's "congested streets" without resorting to road rage.

Charity Bristol Mediation has been given Â£10,000 of public money to "bring road users together".
But doubts about the plan have united some. Cyclist Hugh Marshall called it a "cosmetic exercise" and the Alliance of British Drivers said "it's a joke".
The council said it looked forward to "seeing positive results".
Bristol Mediation, which helps neighbourhoods to resolve conflicts and disputes, is running the Road Sharing Restorative Approach scheme.
It said the city was well known for its clogged streets as cars, bikes, buses, taxis and lorries competed for space which "can lead to road rage and conflict".
Some road users who spoke to BBC Bristol did not think the project was a solution to the issue.
Mr Marshall, who has been cycling for 40 years, said there had been an "explosion in cycling" in the past five years and suggested an adult cycling test.
"Quite a good percentage of these new cyclists are either contemptuous of the Highway Code, or completely ignorant of the Highway Code," he said.
Bob Bull, from the Alliance of British Drivers, said: "The problem is that cyclists can do what they like, where they like, when they like and there's no repercussions. That clearly isn't the case for motorists.
"These are the circumstances that breed people's feelings, so you end up with the situation where motorists are seen as anti-cyclist. It's a complete waste of money."
The project, which will also produce a short film, is one of several community safety projects to be awarded funding from the office of Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens.
The council, part of the Safer Bristol Partnership which distributes the money, said it was "always supportive of any project that encourages positive relationships between all different road users".


A Carmarthenshire driver who tried to shake off a chasing police officer by deploying a smokescreen has been given a community order.

Simon Chaplin, 62, of Hebron, rigged a bucket of diesel, a pump and pipes in his Peugeot 309.
He activated it after a police officer tried to pull him over for speeding near Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire.
Chaplin must do 100 hours unpaid work and was given six points on his licence at Swansea Crown Court on Tuesday.
PC Dafydd Burge of Dyfed-Powys Police said Chaplin filled the road with fumes as he followed him along country lanes.
He finally pulled over after about five miles and PC Burge, who was forced to keep a distance from him, was able to follow the trail of smoke to find him.
Chaplin was convicted of causing a danger to other road users by deliberately causing smoke to be emitted and admitted driving without insurance and threatening behaviour.
He said he "sort of panicked" when he saw the policeman's flashing blue lights and told the court the device, which he borrowed from another man, was used to kill moles.
Judge Elwen Evans QC, said: "It is in very unusual circumstances that you find yourself before the court. I do not want to see you here again."


A hospital placed in special measures because of high death rates has seen its mortality figures fall.

Medway NHS Foundation Trust said its death rate was now 100.19, almost in line with the national average of 100.
The latest statistics were revealed weeks ahead of a full inspection of the hospital, which will take place at the end of the month.
Medical director of Medway Maritime Hospital Diana Hamilton-Fairley said a range of changes had been put in place.
"It's no secret that our high mortality rate was one of the overriding reasons we were placed into special measures back in 2013," she said.
She said the NHS trust had made changes to ensure patients received safe and compassionate treatment with a better safety culture throughout the hospital, and a focus on recognising and responding quickly to patients whose conditions deteriorated.
Staff had also been trained on using the National Early Warning Score which determines the severity of a patient's illness and when critical care is required, she added.
New procedures had been brought in for emergency admissions, frail, elderly patients and those with chronic respiratory and cardiac conditions, she added.
Ms Hamilton-Fairley said other positive outcomes had also been seen which the trust hoped would stand it in good stead for the forthcoming inspection.
The hospital was placed in special measures after the Keogh review.
Fourteen NHS trusts were found to have high death rates in 2010-11 and 2011-12, and 11 were placed in special measures.


One of four men accused of plotting to kill two former UDA leaders in Scotland allegedly asked a man if he could obtain a gun, a court has heard.

Former drug addict Blair Bell gave a statement to police in 2013 in which he said Paul Sands asked him about a gun.
But in a second interview he said he was not sure if Mr Sands, or another man who was present, had asked him.
Mr Sands, Anton Duffy, Martin Hughes, and John Gorman, deny plotting to kill Johnny Adair and Sam McCrory.
The High Court in Glasgow has already heard that Mr Adair and his best friend Mr McCrory were both former members of prohibited Loyalist terror organisations the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and its paramilitary wing the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF).
They were involved in the Good Friday agreement in 1998 which brought peace to Northern Ireland, and both have been living in Ayrshire for a number of years.
The court heard that Mr Bell, 28, gave a statement to police in October 2013 in which he claimed to have given his friend Robert Telfer, in the company of Mr Sands, a lift to Asda in Prestwick, South Ayrshire.
During that drive he initially told police that: "Sands once asked me where I could get a gun, but I didn't entertain him."
In a second police interview Mr Bell claimed that he was not sure if it was Mr Sands or Mr Telfer who had mentioned guns.
In evidence, Mr Bell was asked by prosecutor Paul Kearney: "Who asked you to source a gun," and replied: "One of then - Robert Telfer or Paul Sands."
Mr Kearney asked: "What type of gun was it," and Mr Bell replied: "It was never mentioned."
The prosecutor then asked: "What was the gun for," and Mr Bell said: "It was never mentioned."
Defence QC Donald Findlay, representing Mr Sands, suggested to Mr Bell that the conversation about a gun never took place, but he denied this was the case.
When asked why people would think he knew how to source a gun, Mr Bell replied that he had boasted to a friend about being shown a gun by Gambian drug dealers in 2007.
He told the court that the Gambians were called Disco Dave, Mo and Sidu and claimed he had met them in a pub in Ayr.
Mr Bell told the court that he drove these three men between Glasgow and Ayr around 2007 and claimed that on one occasion they took him into their flat and there was a gun on the table.
He was asked how often he had discussed guns with the Gambians and replied: "Four or five times."
He said he had mentioned this to a friend and added: "I was boasting about it."
Mr Duffy, 39, Mr Hughes, 36, Mr Sands, 31, and Mr Gorman, 58, deny plotting to murder Mr Adair and Mr McCrory.
It is also claimed Mr Duffy and Mr Gorman were allegedly part of a plan to murder the governor of Barlinnie jail Derek McGill in a car bomb attack.
Three other men - Craig Convery, 37, Gary Convery, 34, and Gordon Brown, 29, -  deny organised crime charges.
The trial before judge Lady Scott continues.


Tweeting explosions, biting memes and vines looping the exquisite farce of the Premier League soap opera - the twists, turns, highs and lows of the 2015-16  season were captured brilliantly on social media.

By bringing together some of the best content we remember the moments that made us 'ROFL' or 'SMH' or both.
(That's 'roll on the floor laughing' or 'shake my head' for anyone over 30).
So enjoy, relive and share.
It would be folly to start anywhere else but Leicester City.
The naysayers declared there was more chance of finding Elvis alive than the Foxes winning the title. In fact the odds for both occurrences were the same - a generous 5,000-1.
The bookies forked out an estimated £20m on Leicester's achievement, now if 'The King' reappears that would definitely have them all shook up.
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One Leicester fan who should keep his hip swinging to a minimum at the start of next season is Gary Lineker.
This is what the Match of the Day presenter tweeted in December:
And this is a mock up of what it could look like (a bit generous perhaps):
Week after week Leicester and their players were among the top trending topics, culminating in the explosion that occurred on 2 May moments after Tottenham's dreams were obliterated.
By this point the 'Vardy Party', which will undoubtedly become a club night in the city, was well and truly under way at the striker's home.
England player Jamie Vardy, or was it his lookalike, partied like it was 1999 (RIP Prince) with as many of the squad he could cram into his... eight-bedroom £1m mansion.
It was perhaps fitting that captain and tattoo parlour aficionado Wes Morgan, having performed heroics throughout the campaign, provided one of the moments of the social season when he was dragged along the kitchen-come-dancefloor.
There weren't too many other clubs who deserve a slap on the back, but a special mention should go West Ham, Bournemouth and Watford.
The Hammers' beanie-wearing manager Slaven Bilic inspired his side to some memorable wins - coming back from 2-0 down to beat Everton, the FA Cup extra-time victory over Liverpool, to name two. A top-seven finish is a great way to say #FarewellBoleyn.
His chief playmaker in the success was Dimitri Payet - a summer signing who turned free-kicks into an art form, literally.
Cherries boss Eddie Howe, who we discovered has a penchant for breakfast-time news conferences, and Hornets counterpart Quique Sanchez Flores, fresh from apparently filming The Night Manager, ruined many a pre-season Premier League prediction. Including this one:
Where do we start?
Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and, of course, Everton all underwhelmed.
Chelsea's implosion was perhaps the most spectacular. They were a strong tip to retain their title, but by the end of December they were 16th and an outside bet to go down.
The ultimate ignominy was having to again sack the club's Special One, Jose Mourinho, resulting from several contributing factors. Or perhaps the ultimate jibe was West Ham's co-owner's tweet after his side defeated the beleaguered Blues back in October.
As for another strong favourite, Manchester City, their season followed a similar trajectory to this trending graph below which highlights the moment when it was confirmed Pep Guardiola would be taking charge of the team from next season.
The red half of Manchester spent an astonishing £36m (rising to an even more astonishing £58m) for a teenage forward many of us only became familiar with on the day he signed.
Louis van Gaal's side were beset by injuries during a curious campaign which finished with the side missing out on a Champions League spot but with a place in the FA Cup final. Van Gaal out? Read below.
As for Arsenal, move aside 'Brexit', the big 'in or out' debate trotted out was whether Arsene Wenger should remain manager of the Gunners or not.
Aside from the fact the Frenchman led the side to second place and a 20th (TWENTIETH) successive Champions League qualification, he continues to be pilloried more by his own supporters than those who don't follow the club.
The committed leader of 'Wengxit' was in full campaign mode when in April the Gunners boss suggested that his side played in a "difficult climate" at home.
And Everton? All those very good international players and a manager who endeared himself to many with his football philosophy and dancing to Jason Derulo - where did it all go wrong?
Will they? Won't they? How dare they!
There is a lot to be said for managing a so-called lesser club whose seasonal expectations do not amount to more than mid-table safety.
The pressure gauge was ticking low for the likes of Howe, Mark Hughes and, to a lesser extent, Alan Pardew, but for others speculation of their futures was rife.
City's Manuel Pellegrini seemed to be the last person to know he was going to be replaced by Pep Guardiola, although he does have a great poker face.
And, as touched on above, Van Gaal's future has been questioned - often directly at the man himself - since it was reported United chiefs had spoken to Mourinho about taking over next season. The Dutchman is contracted at Old Trafford until the end of the 2016-17 campaign.
Fans have had a love-hate relationship with him.
They've been baffled:
Puzzled:
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And amused:
Whether the Premier League is treated to another season of the Dutchman's idiosyncrasies remains to be seen.
There were 10 'partings of company' this season - up five from the previous season, but down two from the 2013-14 campaign.
The first of those took place one Super Sunday at the beginning of October when both Sunderland's Dick Advocaat and Liverpool's Brendan Rodgers were booted from the boot rooms.
The live announcement of Rodgers' sacking on Sky Sports prompted the normally unruffled Thierry Henry to ruffle the trousers of fellow pundit Jamie Carragher, which in turn became one of the most shared football clips of the season.
Tim Sherwood was next to depart later that month after leading Aston Villa to rock bottom, where they remained. Remi Garde, another young gaffer but minus the rogueish Home Counties charm, also went the same way in March.
In what was a disappointing season for gilet-wearing managers, Garry Monk cleared his desk in December after leading Swansea to only one win in 11 league games.
Chairman Huw Jenkins said: "The decision has been made very reluctantly and with a heavy heart."  So perhaps you should have kept him?
The big one came a week before Christmas when Mourinho, who had been on the brink for a while, was sacked by Chelsea for a second time.
His side had almost done an 'anti-Leicester' by winning the title then performing dismally the following season. It seems to be either Manchester United or... Indonesia (?!) for the Portuguese.
Next on our list is Steve McClaren, who held his brolly firmly to protect himself against the hail of criticism during his nine months at Newcastle. He spent north of £80m on transfers and departed with the club in 19th - best to leave that off the CV.
Everton's Martinez had been hanging on a thread for a couple of weeks, until somebody grabbed the scissors on 12 May.
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Both Pellegrini and Sanchez Flores said their goodbyes on the final day.
The fate of the Spaniard - who led the Hornets to the FA Cup semi-finals and 13th place in the Premier League - was decided last week after both parties failed to agree whether the season was a success or not. The league will be a poorer place without his rustic appearance.
Not since X Factor series one has there been this much excitement about up-and-coming British talent.
Dele Alli took to the Premier League like a bottle to a Manchester United coach, with 10 goals in his debut top-flight season including that incredible strike against Crystal Palace in January.
The 20-year-old was voted the PFA Young Player of the Year, and was shortlisted alongside team-mate Harry Kane, 22, who had another stellar campaign - that's now 59 goals in two seasons.
Kane ditched his vanilla demeanour to post a photo of hunting lions in April to suggest Tottenham were closing the gap on leaders Leicester.
Foxes counterpart and England colleague Vardy responded during some respite from the 'Vardy Party':
At Manchester United, even the hardcore fans were asking "Who?" when first defender Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and more notably striker Marcus Rashford were introduced to the fold.
Rashford was a last-minute addition to the starting line-up for their crucial second-leg match against Midtjylland in the Europa League. He scored twice to help United to a 5-1 victory and then grabbed two more against Arsenal on his Premier League debut, on his way to seven goals in 16 appearances.
With the addition of an England call-up, how is he supposed to concentrate on his A-levels?
France forward Martial, 20, who in September cost £58m more than Rashford, began his Old Trafford career in spectacular fashion with four goals in five games during what has been an impressive debut campaign. He was rewarded for his exploits with the Facebook Football young player of the year award. Like.
Perhaps Manchester City's Kelechi Iheanacho might feel slightly hard done by that he was not in the running for any major awards having netted 13 times this season, often after coming on as a substitute.
If the 19-year-old goes on to great things then Pellegrini would have left one heck of a legacy, though not many City fans would be about to praise him.
Honourable mentions to Tottenham midfielder Eric Dier, Stoke keeper Jack Butland, Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho and forwards Arsenal's Alex Iwobi and Everton's Romelu Lukaku.
With the exception of Aston Villa, who appeared hell bent on finishing bottom, all the relegation issues were not decided until the final week of the season.
The fight for the remaining two places - aka the Race for the Championship - was settled last Wednesday when Sunderland secured their Premier League status with a 3-0 win over Everton and in turn sent both Norwich and Newcastle to the gallows.
The Magpies replaced McClaren with Rafael Benitez, but to no avail. Former midfielder Joey Barton targeted owner Mike Ashley, who in his nine years at the helm has overseen two relegations. Do you get a Blue Peter badge for that?
The Canaries' recent league status record reads like this: Championship, Premier League, Premier League, Premier League, Championship, Premier League and now Championship.
The satirical Suffolk Gazette could not resist having a pop at Norfolk's beloved TV cook and Norwich's majority shareholder:
The final word belongs to Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce, who was brought to the club in October with the Black Cats 19th and winless in their opening eight games.
A few months later and he has managed to maintain his record of never taking a club down.
Here's the Bleacher Report's take on Big Sam's great escape.
With all the major issues decided, it seemed like the Premier League season would ease into a Yaya Toure jog on the final day.
How wrong we were.
By this stage, large sections of Old Trafford had already been evacuated. Speculation followed as to what the suspect package was and who could have been the perpetrator(s).
The Greater Manchester Police stated it was an "incredibly lifelike" device, before it was later revealed to be a dummy device accidentally left behind after a security exercise. As you do.
Away from those explosive events, we witnessed one of the most remarkable results of the season at St James' Park where relegated Newcastle defeated Tottenham 5-1.
Benitez, still pondering whether a wet Tuesday night in Rotherham is enough for him to commit to the Magpies, roused both the fans and players as Spurs capitulated.
What was more galling for Spurs was that by caving in they also lost second spot to north London rivals Arsenal. Gunners fans celebrated 'St Totteringham Day' on social media - the point in the season where Spurs can no longer finish above Arsenal.
The league campaign eventually came to a conclusion on Tuesday, 18 May when Manchester United played their delayed game against Bournemouth.
The match finished 3-1 to the men in red.
They thought it was all over, it is now.
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Elise Christie became the first British woman to win a World Short Track Speed Skating Championships title with victory in the 1500m in Rotterdam.

The 26-year-old Scot had previously won eight other world championship medals but clocked two minutes 54.369 seconds, to win the title, 0.12 seconds ahead of Canada's Marianne St-Gelais in second.
She also reached the 500m final, but finished last of the four competitors.
Christie has the chance of another gold in the 1000m on Sunday.
"I never expected to win the 1500,'' said Christie.
The world title represents an impressive resurgence from Christie, who said she was considering her future in the sport after being disqualified from all three of her events at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
Livingston-born Christie has been focusing on the shorter distance events this season and has already set a new 500m world record of 42.335 seconds.
In the 1500m final, South Korea's Shim Suk-hee was third with her compatriot and defending champion Choi Min-jeong a distant fifth.
Christie was unable to challenge in the 500m final, recording a time of 43.835 seconds, with China's Kexin Fan winning in 43.605.


Railway bosses are to be quizzed about train services in the South East which were branded an "appalling joke" by MPs.

Several MPs are to put their concerns to Southern and Network Rail at a transport task force meeting.
Southern was severely criticised before Christmas after passengers faced major delays because of signal faults.
The operator said services had been hit by infrastructure and train problems and staffing issues.
At the time, it apologised "for the level of service" passengers had experienced but said it was "working very hard on the prevention of further issues".
Commuters in the South East have also suffered months of disruption because of rebuilding work at London Bridge.
Conservative Maria Caulfield, who represents Lewes, said the meeting on 18 January would give the region's MPs a chance to question Network Rail and Southern about the situation.
"As it is in the first few weeks of the new year we'll be able to see what improvements they've made."
Ms Caulfield, tweeted that it was "almost quicker to fly to space station by rocket than get home to Lewes by train" the day after British astronaut Tim Peake took six-and-a-half hours to reach the International Space Station.
She told the BBC constituents were missing flights from Gatwick and important meetings because of problems on the network.
Southern services were also branded "an appalling joke" in parliament on 17 December by Labour MP for Streatham Chuka Umunna, and criticised by Reigate's Conservative MP Crispin Blunt.
In May, figures from the Office of Rail and Road revealed a fifth of trains operated by Southern did not meet arrival time targets.


Elite League side Coventry Blaze have signed Liam Stewart, son of music legend Rod and former model Rachel Hunter, for the 2016-17 season.

The London-born, USA-raised 21-year-old will count as a foreign import because of his overseas junior development.
"My dad loves it," he said. "It's different from soccer, but he loves the intensity of it.
"He's only an hour and a half away, so he'll be able to get to watch me play more than he's ever done."
Asked whether his football-mad dad, a former Brentford trialist and passionate Celtic and Scotland fan, understands the game, Stewart added: "I've told him that, whenever we score, or the opposition score, he's just got to make sure he cheers for the right team."
"Liam is a very important signing for us," said Blaze head coach Danny Stewart. "He adds to our depth which will be crucial next season."
Blaze, who won the Elite League five times in eight seasons between 2003 and 2010, finished sixth last season.
Liam Stewart first developed an interest in ice hockey after moving to America to live with his mother in Southern California at the age of three.
He played at a junior level with the Spokane Chiefs, before making two play-off appearances for the Quad City Mallards, and then making 13 appearances last season for the Alaska Aces.
"I was there for a couple of months before I got injured," he said. "The injury is fully recovered now and I am itching to get back on the ice to start the season."


Four big planned changes to encourage saving were outlined by the chancellor.

A new personal savings allowance of £1,000 will be introduced in April next year, removing the first £1,000 of savings income from income tax.
From later this year, people will be able to move money in and out of Isas without infringing their tax free contribution limit.
And a new "Help to Buy" Isa will be launched to help people save for a deposit.
As announced a few days ago, the government will consult on letting people who have bought annuities with their pension pots sell them, in return for a lump sum.
Mr Osborne said the new personal savings allowance would come into effect in April 2016.
This would, he said, create tax-free banking for almost the entire population.
However, higher-rate taxpayers will benefit from a smaller personal savings allowance of only £500.
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And anyone earning more than £150,000 a year will not receive the benefit of the new savings allowance at all.
This change, along with more flexibility for Isas, will cost taxpayers more than £1bn in 2016-17 and more than half a billion pounds each year thereafter.
An important knock-on effect of these changes will be that from next April, banks and building societies will no longer deduct 20% income tax automatically from savings held outside an Isa.
The chancellor hailed this as a major piece of tax simplification.
"People have already paid tax once on their money when they earn it. They shouldn't have to pay tax a second time when they save it," he said.
"With our new personal savings allowance, 17 million people will see the tax on their savings not just cut, but abolished."
Richard Lloyd of the consumers' association Which? said: "The tax break and new flexibilities on savings will prove popular with the millions who have got a raw deal on their savings in recent years.
"But there are still many savers whose money is languishing in extremely poor paying accounts, so the financial industry must now play fair and help people get a better return."
On the new Isa rules for what he called a "fully flexible Isa", Mr Osborne explained that so long as Isa money is taken out and replaced during the same tax year, such a move would not count towards the annual Isa contribution limit, which is due to rise in any case to £15,240 this coming April.
"If you take that money out, you lose your tax-free entitlement, and so can't put it back in," he said.
"With the fully flexible Isa, people will have complete freedom to take money out, and put it back in later in the year, without losing any of their tax-free entitlement."
However, this new flexibility will apply to cash Isas only, and not to stocks and shares Isas.
Mr Osborne said the change would be scheduled for this autumn after consultation.
Iain McCluskey of accountants PwC said: "The very significant Isa allowance increase over this Parliament has meant that many savers already pay no income tax on their savings.
"The additional flexibility on Isa contributions is a further move to encourage saving through Isas and will be welcome for those who have to dip into Isa savings on those all too frequent rainy days."
HM Revenue & Customs confirmed that this new flexibility meant that someone could move out their entire Isa savings, accumulated over many years, and then reinstate them within the current tax year to resume their tax-free status.
As a further attempt to help first time buyers save a deposit to buy a home, a "Help to Buy" Isa will be created.
Within this, the government will add 25% to whatever is contributed by a saver.
The monthly maximum contribution from savers will be just £200, with the government adding just £50 a month at the most.
The accounts will run indefinitely once opened.  But if someone accumulates £12,000 over that time, a maximum of £3,000 will be added by the taxpayer.
"Savers will have access to their own money and will be able to withdraw funds from their account if they need them for another purpose, but the bonus will only be made available for home purchase," the government said.
The payment of the government bonus will only be triggered if the saver buys a home worth less than £450,000 in London, or less than £250,000 anywhere else.
Paul Smee of the Council of Mortgage Lenders said: "Such steps are welcome. But as saving for a deposit will never become easy, we still need a clear focus on the supply of new housing that will help deliver a sustainable, affordable housing market over the long term."
The cost of the tax subsidy to the Help to Buy Isa is estimated to rise from £230m in 2016-17 to £835m by 2019-20.
To help pay for some of these tax concessions, the chancellor announced plans to further restrict pension tax relief.
From 2016-17, the lifetime allowance - for pension savings that can be accumulated free of tax - will be cut from £1.25m to £1m.
That will save the taxman £300m in 2016-17, rising to nearly £600m in  2019-20.
From 2018, that allowance will be indexed to the consumer prices index (CPI) and will therefore start to rise again.
Steven Cameron of insurance firm Aegon was disappointed.
"A £1m pension pot may seem huge, but with improvements in health and life expectancy, people who retire at 60 may need to use their pension income to cover their costs for 30 years or more," he said.
"If you want your pension to continue to your partner and rise with inflation, £1m will buy you less than £30k a year. Many people aspire to more than that."
There will be no change to the annual allowance for pension savings, which stays at £40,000.
Mr Osborne said changing that would have involved "penalising moderately-paid, long-serving public servants, including police officers, teachers and nurses, and instead rewarding higher-paid graduates".
The change that will come into place will only affect the wealthiest pension savers.
Government statistics show that among people about to retire, only 4% have pension savings worth more than £1m.
It also justified its move by pointing out that in 2013-14, income tax relief for pensioners was worth a total of about £34bn, and of that about two-thirds went to people in the higher-rate or additional-rate tax bands.


England manager Roy Hodgson says he had been hoping to use Thursday's friendly with Portugal as a dress rehearsal for dealing with Wales winger Gareth Bale.

But Portugal will be without Bale's club-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been granted time off after winning the Champions League with Real Madrid.
Hodgson thought facing Ronaldo would be good preparation for facing Bale.
"We were thinking about Gareth Bale," Hodgson said when he explained why Portugal had been chosen as opponents.
Bale, the world's most expensive player, scored seven goals in qualifying as Wales reached a major finals for the first time in 58 years.
"Of course he [Ronaldo] has been an unbelievably influential figure for all the clubs he has played for and Portugal as well, and we were thinking that Gareth Bale is in a somewhat similar position," Hodgson said.
"So when we thought Portugal, we were thinking not only about their technical qualities and the fact they are a very good football team, but they also have a special individual."
Wales and England meet in Lens on 16 June in Group B, which also contains Slovakia and Russia.
"I believe now that might not be the case [that Ronaldo will play] but we're happy with the two opponents we've had so far [Australia and Turkey]. They've certainly put us to the test," Hodgson said.
"I've been able to use quite a lot of players in those two games and we expect another tough test [against Portugal].
"But if we can get through that test and come away satisfied with what we've done and I can be satisfied with what I've seen, then I'd have to say the three preparation games have served their purpose."


Samsung Electronics says its operating profit is likely to rise 15% in the fourth quarter from a year ago, missing market expectations.

The preliminary figures show that operating profit will be 6.1tn won ($5.1bn; Â£3.5bn) for the October to December period, from 5.29tn won a year earlier.
Analysts had expected the amount to be 6.6tn won, fuelling growth concerns.
Samsung products have been hit by weak demand in China and currency woes.
Operating profit fell 7.5% from the previous quarter.
Sales at the world's biggest maker of memory chips and smartphones also missed forecasts at 53tn won for the period.
Samsung does not break down its earnings results in the preliminary report, leaving analysts to speculate on how each business division is doing.
But analysts predict that the latest forecast is a sign that the tech giant will face another tough year of weaker gadget sales as the smartphone market is saturated.
Samsung is facing stiff competition at the top end of the market from Apple, while cheaper Chinese rivals are gaining ground in the mid to low level range for mobile devices.
On Monday, chief executive Kwon Oh-hyun had warned that the firm faced challenges on weak global economic growth prospects.
Final earnings results for the quarter are due to be released at the end of January.


Pro12 champions Scarlets have signed versatile back Paul Asquith from Australian club Western Sydney Rams.

The 23-year-old is a centre who can also play wing and full-back.
Asquith has played for Australia Sevens and Melbourne Rebels in Super Rugby.
He said: "I believe that their style of play will suit my game and it will be beneficial for me to be able to develop my game alongside experienced players like British and Irish Lion Jonathan Davies and Scott Williams."
Scarlets general manager of rugby Jon Daniels said: "He is a versatile player who can play right across the backline as well as giving us another kicking option.
"Having experienced the Super Rugby and Australian Sevens environments Paul is keen to challenge himself in the northern hemisphere and we feel his skill set is a great match for our style of play."


Unconfirmed reports of gunshots, later described by police as just "loud noises", have sparked evacuations at Los Angeles airport.

People fled the airport on Sunday night amid the shooting reports, with scenes of abandoned luggage on pavements.
Traffic to the terminal was halted and no flights were allowed to land, but operations have now resumed.
LA police tweeted that no shots had been fired and there were no injuries. They are investigating the noises.
The incident follows another case of panic at a US airport, when parts of New York's JFK airport were closed two weeks ago amid reports of gunfire that later proved to be false.
The police and fire departments had deployed many units to the Los Angeles airport after reports of a "security situation" and a possible "active shooter".
Los Angeles airport tweeted that an individual in a "Zorro" costume had been detained.
Footage on social media showed the man sitting on a bench at a bus bay outside the airport, surrounded by armed police. He gets on the floor as requested and places his arms out wide before officers move in to detain him.
It was unclear whether he was responsible for the noises.
One passenger, Scott McDonald, told Associated Press he had been trying to disembark from a plane and had been told to get back on.
He said he had seen many people gathered on the tarmac.
Actress Anne Dudek told the LA Times she had been on an escalator when a man ran past saying people were being shot.
"People started dropping bags and running out of the terminal," she said. "Panic spread."
She said she had also left the terminal and run through a parking area to her car and left the airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily held some Los Angeles-bound flights.
Passengers were later allowed to return to the terminal to gather luggage left behind.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the world's seventh busiest by traffic.


Pep Guardiola delivered the first meaningful blow in a rivalry with Jose Mourinho that will become a central part of the Premier League's narrative as Manchester City recorded a well-merited win against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

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The pair's history of animosity with Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain's La Liga meant their first Premier League meeting since assuming control on either side of Manchester provided a colourful backdrop to the build-up to this derby.
And when the action got under way on the field, it was City who put a marker down and put Manchester United in their place with a peerless first 40 minutes followed by resilience to maintain their 100% start to the season.
This was always going to be much more than the Manchester derby - this was as much about Mourinho against Guardiola on the Premier League stage, fighting for supremacy in Manchester.
And this was Spaniard Guardiola's day on every level as City claimed the win and his celebrated methods were on show for all to see at Old Trafford, the fiercest enemy territory.
Mourinho was a chastened figure post-match, reduced to blaming referee Mark Clattenburg for not awarding two second half penalties for what he felt was City keeper Claudio Bravo's foul on Wayne Rooney and Nicolas Otamendi's handball.
It was an act of straw-clutching, although the Portuguese fully accepted City's first-half superiority when he admitted he and his players got it wrong.
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The bottom line is United were second best and this was something of a cold shower for the over-excitement of some who believed 'The Special One' could apply an instant fix to the faults of the past three seasons under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal.
Mourinho's decision to play Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the right in his first start since his £25m summer move from Borussia Dortmund was a dismal failure - and he admitted some of his players struggled to cope with "the dimension of the game".
The Armenia captain was removed at half-time in a reshuffle that also saw Jesse Lingard taken off, Marcus Rashford and Ander Herrera sent on, and the completely anonymous £89m midfield man Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini pushed forward, with Wayne Rooney shunted out to the right.
In other words - Mourinho's selection went wrong.
He said: "I had two or three players in the first half that, if I know what is going to happen, I don't play them. This is football, though, and sometimes players disappoint managers.
"It's my fault because I'm the manager and it's always my fault because it's my choice."
Guardiola was bold enough to play Kelechi Iheanacho as replacement for the suspended Sergio Aguero and the 19-year-old responded with his ninth goal from just 13 shots on target in the Premier League.
And his introduction of Fernando for the youngster after 53 minutes demonstrated a pragmatism that is often overlooked amid Guardiola's purist instincts. He was prepared to use a shield when required.
City were also prepared to work for their success, running a total of 119.63km in comparison to United's 111.34km. Guardiola demands the full package from his players.
It was not all perfect as his selection of the uncertain Claudio Bravo in goal ran a fine line with failure - but all's well that ends well.
The embraces with long-time foe Mourinho at the start and finish were cordial enough - and if Guardiola did get around to having that glass of wine in the Old Trafford manager's office when his media duties were completed it would have tasted sweet.
Manchester City made their intentions clear when they lured the most coveted man in management to Etihad Stadium - and Guardiola's team have wasted no time in making big statements of their own.
The Catalan has opened up with four straight Premier League wins, this victory at Old Trafford marking them out as the team to beat in the title race this season.
It is, of course, early days but City's ability to win with key players either suspended, injured or working their way to full fitness means a significant marker was put down in this derby win.
It was a win achieved without the banned Aguero and without influential captain Vincent Kompany who is nearing a return, as is summer signing Ilkay Gundogan, who was also absent.
Leroy Sane, the £37m summer signing from Schalke, made a lively appearance as a substitute here and will be a formidable force when fully fit.
John Stones was outstanding when United's second-half siege came, demonstrating why Guardiola was satisfied to spend £47.5m on the young England defender to bring him from Everton.
Kevin de Bruyne was also a key figure, scoring one goal and being involved in the other. He has been directly involved in 32 goals in 46 appearances for Manchester City, scoring 17 and assisting in 15.
And when Guardiola studies the statistics, an 81.8% passing success rate will please even this perfectionist, who expressed his satisfaction with this two-dimensional City display - glorious, clinical football in the first half and solid resilience in the second.
City restricted United to their fourth lowest home possession share in the Premier League since the 2003-04 season, just 39.9%
Manchester City's squad looked short of inspiration and motivation in the understated presence of Manuel Pellegrini last season - this problem looks to have been cured already by Guardiola.
It has been an impressive start. Those with Premier League title aspirations now know what they have to beat.
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Pep Guardiola has invested a lot of faith in Claudio Bravo after showing England goalkeeper Joe Hart the door and paying £17m to bring the 33-year-old Chile international from Barcelona.
It was, therefore, no surprise to hear Guardiola mounting a passionate defence of his man despite a performance that left City and their supporters living on their nerves.
In Bravo's defence, he has barely had any training sessions with his new team-mates and a debut at Old Trafford is always a daunting introduction.
Guardiola's backing for his keeper, while understandable, was at odds with a display that occasionally threatened to spread panic in City's ranks.
He was hesitant and occasionally too slow to clear with the ball at his feet and once he came from his line to claim a first-half free-kick, Bravo had to catch it. He did not, allowing Zlatan Ibrahimovic to score and give United hope.
Guardiola praised Bravo's willingness to take responsibility and is happy for his keeper to take a high-risk approach in exchange for the rewards he believes it brings.
It is too early to say whether Bravo will be an upgrade on the banished Hart but those who believe England's first-choice keeper has been sent into exile too soon will not have had their worries eased by this performance.
They will have to trust Guardiola's judgement - and he has not got anything wrong so far.
While Mourinho bemoaned those players who struggled to cope with the unique demands of the Manchester derby, he had no such complaints about Marcus Rashford.
Mourinho said the 18-year-old looked like he was "playing against Salford City under-18s" in a second half performance that combined pace and a fearless approach - and almost an equaliser only for an offside Zlatan Ibrahimovic to get a touch on his goal-bound shot.
The question will continue and the clamour will grow for Rashford to start in an area of Mourinho's squad that is starting to look over-crowded.
Rashford was the player who put City on the back foot with his speed. It will be one of Mourinho's most urgent tasks to integrate this brilliant young talent into his team.
It then begs further questions, with Ibrahimovic seemingly untouchable as the main man, about where Rooney fits in and how Mourinho can shuffle his resources to maximise the potential of Rashford, Antony Martial, Mkhitaryan and Juan Mata.
Ibrahimovic had all of United's three shots on target as well as four of their six off target, so it is likely to a case of who plays with the 34-year-old Swede.
Rashford, on this showing, cannot be denied his starting place for much longer.


A tuberculosis (TB) screening exercise at a Bristol school has found the disease has not been transmitted after a case in March.

About 120 pupils and staff at the Bristol Brunel Academy in Speedwell who had come into contact with the person involved were tested for the condition.
Several people were, however, found to have a "latent" version of the disease.
This means they could have been exposed to the bacteria at any time in their lives but are not a risk to others.
However, there is a small chance that they may go on to develop active TB later on in life.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA), which carried out the screenings, has treated those found to have the latent version of the disease with a routine course of antibiotics to clear it.
TB is a serious but curable infectious disease which normally affects the lungs.
The HPA's Dr Bharat Pankhania, said: "Our tests are very sensitive and pick up evidence if you have ever been exposed to TB bacteria at any time in your life. These bacteria are hidden away inside you and may never cause illness or disease.
"But we further assess these people and make absolutely sure that they don't have any evidence of illness.
"I am reassured that a transmission has not been occurring at the school."
Principal Brigid Allen said: "The results of the screening show that TB has not been transmitted amongst either our pupils or our staff and we want to reassure parents that there is nothing to worry about.
"We're so pleased and want to thank the HPA for their help in all this."


A deal that will see a holiday park developer invest more than £4m in an Anglesey community has been agreed by the island's council.

The lodge resort development on the outskirts of Holyhead was given the go-ahead in autumn 2013 after initially being turned down.
But developers had to agree to pay towards a community programme as part of the project.
It will see investment in education, medical services and a leisure centre.
As well as a 500 holiday lodge village on land at Penrhos country park, up to 320 houses will be built in the Kingsland area of Holyhead.
Much of the accommodation will initially be used to house the thousands of workers expected to be needed for a new nuclear power station at Wylfa.
Councillors were told that the developers had agreed to put £1.5m into education in the Kingsland area to help address additional pressures brought by the new planned housing.
A further £600,000 will be invested in medical services in the area, while about £1m will be spent mitigating any impact on tourism on the island while construction is ongoing.
As part of the agreement, money will also be spent relocating library facilities and meeting the cost of extra pressures on the emergency services on the island.
The developers are also committed to funding a 690 sq-m public leisure centre and spending more than £500,000 on swimming provision.
The package of 32 measures was backed by the meeting of the island's planning committee on Wednesday.
The overall Land and Lakes project is expected to cost about £120m, creating up to 600 jobs.
As part of deal, the developers are also committed to ensuring up to 80% of the workforce is local.


The first black footballer to play for Liverpool has turned down an MBE nomination, saying it would be "a betrayal" to Africans who suffered at the hands of the British Empire.

Howard Gayle, 58, was born in Toxteth and made his Reds debut in 1977.
He said he had to decline the nomination, for his Show Racism the Red Card campaign work, as his ancestors would be "turning in their graves".
The Cabinet Office said it did not comment on individual cases.
The former footballer wrote on Facebook: "Most of you who are on my FB page are aware of the work that I do tackling racism and the work I do for Show Racism A Red Card. And for that work yesterday I was nominated for a MBE."
He added: "Which unfortunately I had to decline the nomination for the reason that my ancestors would be turning in their graves after how Empire and Colonialism had enslaved them.
"This is a decision that I have had to make and there will be others who may feel different and would enjoy the attraction of being a Member of the British Empire and those 3 letters after their name, but I feel that It would be a betrayal to all of the Africans who have lost their lives, or who have suffered as a result of Empire."
As well as representing England at Under-21 level, Gayle played for Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, Birmingham City, Halifax Town, Sunderland, Newcastle United and Stoke City.
Facebook users reacted to the post, saying "respect" and calling the former Liverpool star a man of principle.
Paul Al-Naqib wrote: "So sad that a history of oppression can still have a negative effect today... years after.
"You are a good honest man... many crumble and forget their morals when presented with their pieces of silver. You'll always be Sir Howard Gayle of Tocky to me."
Kenny Norton added: "You don't need an MBE to be the person you are. Well done Howard."
Kevin Edgar wrote: "Takes a lot of mental strength and self belief that Howard. Standing up for what you believe has real dignity too."
The UK honours system is overseen by the Cabinet Office Honours and Appointments Secretariat.