ON THE BRINK! Carrick past the point of no return as Man Utd stars let him down again vs Chelsea to extend winless run to NINE games

Manchester United fell to a 2-0 defeat against Chelsea to pile even more pressure on doomed Michael Carrick.

United started brightly but Amad's failure to convert two clear opportunities and Matheus Cunha's disallowed header meant the game remained 0-0 at the break. However, it took just five minutes after the restart for Xabi Alonso's side to get off the mark.

Morgan Rogers' powerful run in United's half saw him glide past Harry Maguire and lift the ball past Senne Lammens to put his side 1-0 up. The Blues' dominance grew as the game went on and was helped by Lisandro Martinez earning a second yellow card for jumping into Wesley Fofana and giving away a penalty.

The spot-kick was successfully converted by Cole Palmer, despite Lammens getting a hand on it. The 2-0 win not only marked Chelsea's return to winning ways after their defeat to Spurs last week, but could play a major role in the future of Carrick at Old Trafford.

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United remain with just one win in nine league games and could find themselves in the relegation zone by the end of the weekend. The situation in Manchester has been untenable, but another defeat at the hands of one of their biggest rivals could force a decision being made among the club's hierarchy.

The United boss couldn't even look at Lisandro Martinez as he walked off the pitch after getting sent off. The Argentine defender has let down his club - and several managers - time and time again since arriving at Old Trafford in 2022.

However, his ridiculous antics against Chelsea could be the lowest he's fallen to at United. After getting embarrassed by Morgan Rogers and handed a yellow card for attempting to hack down the England star, he was shown a second yellow just seconds after fouling Fofana in the box.

The 28-year-old didn't look at the ball once when raising his hands against the Frenchman and was met by a similar snub by Carrick, who was writing in his notebook as Martinez made his way down the tunnel.

Michael Carrick wouldn't be the first United manager to face the ultimate punishment for his players' failures and he certainly won't be the last. The Englishman received a stay of execution after their 3-0 defeat to the Cherries, but remained under intense pressure after a disappointing start to the season.

Despite a positive first-half against Chelsea, Carrick's side succumbed to the excellence of Morgan Rogers and the stupidity of Martinez that led Cole Palmer to net the Blues' second from the spot.

As is the case in football and sport as a whole, it's easier to part ways with one person than it is to overhaul an entire squad.

Carrick, 45, can be proud of his side's first-half showing at Stamford Bridge. In stark contrast to almost every other game this season, United showed desire, quality and steel in the first 45 minutes.

They can even count themselves unlucky not to have scored after Amad's lack of potency and Cunha's disallowed goal. The positive reaction from the Red Devils has come after the United boss held clear-the-air talks with club captain Bruno Fernandes earlier this week.

The Portuguese star had publicly criticised Carrick's tactics in the wake of their 4-1 defeat to Como in the Champions League, resulting in him being dropped for United's 3-0 home loss against Bournemouth last weekend.

However, he was swiftly restored to the team but was unable to stop them from falling to a fourth Premier League defeat of the season after an uninspiring second half.

Wesley Fofana may have thought it couldn't get worse after Chelsea's Carabao Cup penalty shootout defeat to Liverpool, but the defender was wrong. The Frenchman's handball in the midweek clash allowed Cody Gakpo to equalise for the Reds, before Fofana skied the crucial spot-kick to hand Andoni Iraola's side the victory.

An opportunity for redemption against United presented itself as he retained his spot in Xabi Alonso's side, but the 25-year-old endured a nightmare first-half. He was pickpocketed by Amad in his own half, with the Ivorian running through on goal and saw his shot saved by Mike Penders.

Just 10 minutes later, Fofana was easily overpowered by Amad and gifted him yet another clear sight on goal, but the 24-year-old skied the opportunity to spare the centre back's blushes.

Brandishing a label of being a liability is a hurtful one, but it is accurate in Fofana's case. His mistakes could have resulted in his side going 2-0 down at home against a United team that have won just one league game this season.

Alonso may be short of defensive reinforcements with Maxence Lacroix and Reece James out injured, but removing Fofana from his starting XI is beginning to look like a necessity as every game passes.