Michael Carrick's position as Manchester United manager was jeopardized further Saturday with a 2-0 loss at Chelsea in the Premier League, with a red card to Lisandro Martinez adding to the woes of the beleaguered English giant.
Carrick was already under huge pressure, and seemingly operating on a match-by-match basis, heading into the game at Stamford Bridge, for which he restored Bruno Fernandes to the starting lineup after dropping his captain last week.
It has gotten worse for Carrick, with United now on a nine-match winless run in all competitions, its longest streak without a victory since 1988, according to the BBC, after second-half goals by Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer.
Carrick under mounting pressure
“Things have gone against us, and gone against us in a big way,” Carrick said. “It unraveled quickly.”
Palmer converted a 64th-minute penalty awarded after Martinez jumped with a raised elbow toward Wesley Fofana at a corner and struck the Chelsea defender in the face. A video review confirmed the offense and the Argentina defender, already in the spotlight for criticizing United's hierarchy in a recent post-match interview, was given a second yellow card in a four-minute span.
As Martinez walked off the field and down the tunnel, Carrick didn't even acknowledge the player.
“It has a major importance on the game," Carrick said of the sending-off. “A huge moment.”
United's poor run deepens
United stayed on just one win in the league after nine games and is one point above the relegation zone. There's a chance the 20-time English champions could be in the bottom three by the end of the round, a desperate situation for a club widely regarded as the biggest in the country.
United's only two victories from 13 matches in all competitions this season were against promoted Ipswich in the Premier League and tournament newcomer Sabah in the Champions League.
United's next match is at home to Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday and there has to be some doubt whether Carrick will still be in charge.
“I think the mentality was there right from the first minute,” United forward Bryan Mbeumo said. "We still trust everyone.
“Maybe today we just missed some chances. We could have been up early in the game, but that's a positive to take out of this game.”
Seven more Premier League matches
There were seven more matches to be played in the Premier League on Saturday, the highlight being first-place Manchester City hosting Brighton in a repeat of their English League Cup meeting on Wednesday won by City on penalties. Tottenham is at home to Crystal Palace and in-form Bournemouth welcomes Leeds.