After defeating Nottingham Forest, New Manchester United travelled to Gillingham.
Because it was a midweek league fixture, Mourinho made several changes to the starting lineup.
Villa remained up front, with Cristiano Ronaldo on the left and Robben on the right. Kaká continued in the attacking midfield role, while Juninho and Yaya Touré formed the midfield pair.
The back four consisted of Philipp Lahm, Vidić, Chiellini, and Kolo Touré, with Čech in goal.
It was also the first time the Touré brothers had started together for New Manchester United that season.
With Juninho and Senna performing so consistently, Yaya had mostly been restricted to appearances from the bench or in the League Cup.
Whenever Mourinho rotated the side, Kolo was often rested as well, so the brothers had never previously been able to start together.
The media made plenty of the occasion before kick-off, comparing the Touré brothers to Manchester United's Neville brothers.
Both had already earned considerable recognition among Red Rebels supporters.
Cristiano Ronaldo continued his excellent form against Gillingham.
After scoring in the previous match, the Portuguese youngster looked full of confidence.
Whether attacking the byline or cutting inside, he played with greater conviction and aggression.
His combinations with Kaká and Villa were also becoming much smoother, while Robben provided another dangerous outlet from the opposite flank.
The attacking quartet completely destroyed Gillingham's defence.
All seven of New Manchester United's goals came from the four players.
Villa completed a hat-trick.
Kaká scored twice.
Ronaldo and Robben added one each.
Even so, the performances of the two wingers were no less impressive than those of Villa and Kaká.
Naturally, the front four could only play with such freedom because of the control provided behind them.
Yaya produced an excellent performance.
A season in Belgium had clearly accelerated his development, and he had improved considerably in both attack and defence since leaving Ghana.
At centre-back, Chiellini and Vidić performed well in Terry's absence.
Even so, the partnership did not yet inspire complete confidence.
Both defenders were young, aggressive, and occasionally too eager to attack the ball.
Neither possessed the experience of Terry or Curtis when it came to organising the defensive line.
Gillingham eventually exploited one lapse and scored.
Still, that single mistake did little to diminish what was otherwise a very strong performance from both defenders.
The final score was 7-1.
Another crushing away victory.
New Manchester United remained top of League One and had now extended their winning run to thirteen consecutive league matches.
Even more worrying for their rivals, the Red Rebels appeared to be improving with every game.
Before the season, many people had worried that New Manchester United would weaken after allowing several important players to leave.
Watching the team now, those concerns looked increasingly ridiculous.
The squad had not regressed.
It had improved dramatically.
The individual development of several players was particularly obvious.
Martin Tyler wrote in his column:
"A football match is made up of countless small battles across different areas of the pitch.
"When New Manchester United attack, they use intelligent movement without the ball, combined with individual quality, to create numerical and technical advantages in those small areas.
"They win enough of those individual battles, and eventually they overwhelm the opposition as a whole."
The point was difficult to dispute.
Look at New Manchester United's attacking options.
Drogba.
Villa.
Palacio.
Kaká.
Hleb.
Cristiano Ronaldo.
Robben.
Ribéry.
Every one of them possessed exceptional individual ability.
In League One, very few defenders could consistently beat them in one-on-one situations.
Even in the Premier League, there were not many players capable of doing so.
Tyler devoted particular attention to Ribéry.
The Frenchman had once struggled even to establish himself in professional football back home.
Since arriving at New Manchester United, however, his physical condition and technical ability had improved enormously.
He had developed into an important member of Mourinho's rotation.
From Ribéry, Tyler expanded his discussion to the entire Red Rebels academy.
In his view, New Manchester United possessed one of the most technically focused youth systems in England.
Even Manchester United were arguably behind them in that respect.
Perhaps only Arsenal placed a comparable emphasis on technical development.
The Red Rebels did not merely teach individual skill.
They also placed enormous importance on short passing, movement in tight areas, and decision-making under pressure.
Most importantly, the same footballing principles ran from the academy all the way to the first team.
That was why a player such as Ribéry could perform well for the reserves, receive a promotion, and adapt relatively quickly to senior football.
Barcelona's future academy model had not yet become widely celebrated.
That recognition would come later, once Xavi matured and players such as Iniesta began emerging.
Tyler therefore had no reason to compare New Manchester United's system with Barcelona's.
Instead, he simply praised the Red Rebels for developing one of the most progressive youth structures in English football.
Defensively, the philosophy was very different but equally clear.
When New Manchester United lost possession, the forwards began pressing immediately.
The objective was to compress space, create several defensive layers, and prevent the opposition from progressing cleanly.
Once opponents entered the Red Rebels' defensive thirty-five metres, they often found almost no usable space at all.
Tyler highlighted another interesting pattern.
"When we commentate on New Manchester United, we constantly find ourselves saying that the opposition failed to make the final pass or rushed the decisive moment.
"That explanation may work for one or two matches.
"But when the same thing happens repeatedly, against almost every opponent, we have to ask whether it is really coincidence.
"Do all these teams suddenly forget how to make the final pass when they face the Red Rebels?
"Or is New Manchester United's defensive structure forcing them into those mistakes?"
Tyler's fondness for the Red Rebels was obvious.
Other newspapers were more restrained.
Even so, many of the most respected publications were beginning to reach the same conclusion.
As a complete team, New Manchester United appeared comfortably superior to the rest of League One.
Their players possessed excellent individual quality.
Their tactical system was stable.
Their balance between attack and defence was exceptional.
Such a team was extremely difficult to beat.
The bookmakers reflected that view.
New Manchester United were now clear favourites to win League One and secure promotion.
Their odds had fallen to historically low levels.
After thirteen consecutive victories, several betting companies even created a new market.
Who would be the first team to defeat the Red Rebels?
The most popular answer was Leicester City.
They had only recently been relegated from the Premier League and were widely considered one of the strongest teams in the division.
The timing made the match even more intriguing.
New Manchester United had already played twice that week.
Another League Cup fixture and a league match were waiting the following week, followed by UEFA Cup commitments in November.
The schedule was becoming increasingly demanding.
Drogba, Curtis, and Essien were also still serving their suspensions.
That only intensified the attention surrounding the meeting between the teams sitting first and second in League One.
Everyone wanted to know the same thing.
Could Leicester finally stop the Red Rebels?
After ninety exhausting minutes, the answer was obvious.
No.
Definitely not Leicester.
The 4-0 scoreline did not fully capture New Manchester United's superiority.
Neither did the possession statistics, which stood at 52 per cent to the Red Rebels and 48 per cent to Leicester.
Then came the shot count.
Leicester: 3.
New Manchester United: 34.
Was this really supposed to be a contest between the two strongest teams in League One?
Kaká was magnificent.
He scored once and created the other three goals.
Ronaldo continued to justify Mourinho's faith in him by scoring twice.
Villa added the fourth.
It was another massacre.
And this one had come away from home against a recently relegated Premier League club.
Everyone knew New Manchester United were in good form.
Nobody had expected them to be this devastating.
After the violence at Millwall, combined with the suspensions of three important players, many observers had predicted a temporary dip.
Instead, the Red Rebels responded with one emphatic victory after another.
The following morning, newspapers across Britain devoted extensive coverage to the destruction of Leicester.
This was not some struggling lower-league side.
Leicester had been in the Premier League the previous season.
Although they had lost two important players after relegation, the overall strength of the squad remained considerable.
Yet they had been comprehensively dismantled on their own ground.
Some newspapers now upgraded their description of New Manchester United.
Previously, they had called the Red Rebels a "Premier League side in waiting."
Now a new phrase began appearing.
A "Champions League side in waiting."
Everyone understood that the Premier League represented a completely different standard from League One.
Many teams had dominated the second tier only to be relegated immediately after promotion.
But more and more observers believed New Manchester United were different.
The Red Rebels were too stable.
Too balanced.
And, increasingly, simply too strong.
If the squad remained intact and continued developing at its current rate, some journalists believed New Manchester United could become the Premier League's most dangerous dark horse the moment they arrived.
During his media interviews, Mourinho refused to discuss what the club might achieve after promotion.
"We are in League One," he said.
"We are competing on several fronts, and that is where our attention must remain.
"We need to prepare properly for every match.
"For a newly promoted club, that is all that matters."
One reporter immediately followed up.
"With the team performing this well, are you worried that bigger clubs will come for your players?"
Mourinho smiled confidently.
"We provide our players with a complete development programme and excellent support.
"I see no reason for them to leave.
"They are all young and still have enormous room to improve.
"Join a major club? Fine.
"There is nothing wrong with ambition.
"But for most of them, it is too early.
"They need matches.
"Sitting on the bench at a bigger club will do nothing for their development."
"But several clubs are reportedly interested in your players," another journalist said.
"Juninho and Senna have attracted attention, while Premier League clubs are also monitoring Drogba, Hleb, Terry, and Curtis.
"What do you make of those reports?"
"That is hardly news anymore.
"We have long-term contracts with our players, and they are well paid.
"If major clubs admire them, excellent.
"It proves the players are performing well enough to attract attention, and I'm pleased for them.
"But nobody is leaving New Manchester United at this stage.
"Nobody."
Another reporter raised a different subject.
"What about reports that Bosingwa is unhappy with his lack of playing time and wants to return to Portugal?"
Mourinho's smile disappeared.
"He should work harder, improve, and convince me in training.
"That is how he earns minutes.
"And if he has a problem, he should speak to me about it.
"Not to people outside the club."
A cold edge appeared in Mourinho's eyes.
Anyone who knew him well would have recognised it immediately.
Someone was about to have a very unpleasant conversation.
(To be continued.)