Man United humbled by Bournemouth to leave Carrick's job under threat, Liverpool beats Brighton
Michael Carrick patted his chest and gave an apologetic salute to the Manchester United fans who were applauding him, before trudging down the tunnel at the end of another bruising afternoon at Old Trafford.
Then came a chorus of boos for the United players walking behind him.
United had just lost 3-0 — again — to Bournemouth in the Premier League and the disgruntled home support was letting it be known who they were behind in this latest sorry episode at a team that, not too long ago, was the pinnacle of English soccer.
Indeed, the only person to escape censure was the manager overseeing an eight-match winless run that is bringing more embarrassment to the country’s biggest club.
“It hurts an awful lot to see us going through this at this moment in time,” said an emotional-looking Carrick, who spoke of his “mixed emotions” during a match that further exposed the weakness in his fragile United team.
“It wasn’t a farewell from me,” Carrick added of post-match actions that saw him lead his players on a walk around the field. “What it looks like, what is next — I really don’t know. But I’ll always do what’s best for this football club.”
Carrick is trying everything to get United out its perilous position, which sees the club languishing in 16th place in the 20-team Premier League.
That includes even dropping captain Bruno Fernandes.
The humbling by Bournemouth came four days after a humiliating 4-1 loss at Como in the Champions League that was followed by critical comments to the media by Fernandes about Carrick’s tactics.
Carrick responded by leaving the Portugal star — the player of the year in England last season — out of the team in what the manager described as a “pure football” decision. Fernandes briefly went out to warm up at one point but never made it onto the field, where United defended woefully as Bournemouth scored through Rayan, Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson.
Carrick’s job is under huge threat, barely five months after he signed a permanent deal as manager after leading the team back into the Champions League while on a short-term contract in the second half of last season.
But getting rid of Carrick would not solve the huge problems at United, whose fans also chanted against Jason Wilcox — the club’s director of football who was the target of recent criticism from defender Lisandro Martinez — and the Glazer family, the majority owners, before letting rip on the players.
United has won one of its eight league games this season — and that was at home to promoted Ipswich on Aug. 30.
“It’s nowhere near good enough,” United defender Harry Maguire said. “Something needs to change.”
As for Bournemouth, it has now beaten United 3-0 at Old Trafford in three of the last four seasons. On its other visit in that stretch, there was a 4-4 draw.
Brighton — the league’s surprise package this season — was beaten 2-0 at Liverpool for its first defeat since August, after which the south-coast team embarked on a stunning run since that included two 5-0 wins and a 3-0 victory over defending champion Arsenal.
That streak ended in a tight game at Anfield, with Liverpool’s goals coming in a four-minute span midway through the first half. Pascal Gross deflected Florian Wirtz’s shot into his own net before Alexander Isak turned home Bradley Barcola’s cross.
It was Liverpool's first league win at home under Andoni Iraola, hired as manager over the summer, and it lifted the team into fourth spot — a point and a place behind Brighton
Brighton had 64% possession and 17 shots — though just one on target — and manager Fabian Hurzeler called it a “missed opportunity” for his team to further underline its status as a growing force.
“I think everyone in the stadium saw that there was one team who really tried to create and try to win this game," Hurzeler said, "and therefore I have to praise my players."
Newcastle beat Crystal Palace 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from William Osula and Harvey Barnes. Hull and Brentford drew 1-1, while Sunderland and Leeds finished 0-0.
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Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80
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