Bruno Fernandes breaks down after Manchester United's defeat
A disastrous start for the Red Devils
Bruno Fernandes fought back tears at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, the Manchester United captain visibly distraught after his side's 2-0 defeat to Chelsea in the ninth round of the Premier League. The loss stretched a dismal run to nine matches without a win across all competitions.
The Portugal international could not hold his emotions in check as he walked over to applaud the travelling supporters at full time. Another defeat had deepened the crisis and cast fresh doubt over the future of manager Michael Carrick.
Chelsea went into the break goalless. Morgan Rogers broke through the United defence to open the scoring in the 50th minute, before Cole Palmer doubled the lead from the penalty spot in the 64th, the spot-kick awarded after a Lisandro Martínez foul.
Just six days earlier, United had been beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth. The decline rolls on, with only seven points collected from their first nine Premier League matches.
Fernandes had started that Bournemouth game on the bench, dropped after criticising his manager's tactical choices in the wake of a heavy 4-1 loss to Como in the Champions League. He returned to the starting line-up against Chelsea and played the full 90 minutes.
Carrick tried to play down talk of what lies behind the slump afterwards. "I'm not going to give you a lengthy speech to explain today's situation, because that won't change anything. We have to move forward and win football matches, it's as simple as that," he said.
His side could have scored once or twice, maybe three times, in the first half, he argued, only to lose their focus after the interval and hand Chelsea control. United, he insisted, must learn how to handle difficult moments in matches.
On his own future, the manager would say only that his focus was on preparing the players for Tuesday's Champions League trip to Roma, stressing the urgent need to get back to winning.
Aston Villa visit Old Trafford next Sunday once that Roma fixture is done. Carrick clung to the positives, praising the quality of the first-half display and urging his players to build on it.
