Manchester United crushed 0:3 by Bournemouth, Carrick on the brink of dismissal; Liverpool beat Brighton

A rout at Old Trafford puts Carrick on the brink

Manchester United suffered a 0:3 home defeat to Bournemouth, extending their winless run to eight matches and dropping to 16th place in the Premier League — just one point above the relegation zone. According to AFP, this is Bournemouth's third three-goal victory at Old Trafford in four seasons; the goals were scored by Ryan, Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson under Marco Rose.

Conflict with Fernandes and the crowd's reaction

Carrick unexpectedly left captain Bruno Fernandes on the bench for the entire match. According to AFP, Fernandes had criticised the coach's tactics after the 1:4 rout by Como in the Champions League on Wednesday, and although the coach called the decision 'purely footballing', the outlet notes it is hard to believe it was not a punishment. Bournemouth fans chanted 'you'll be sacked in the morning' at Carrick, while the home fans' anger at the end was directed more at the owners — the Glazer family — than at the coach. 'What next? I don't know. I will always do what is best for this club,' AFP quotes Carrick as saying. The outlet also cites statistics: this season United have won only twice — against newcomers Ipswich and Azerbaijani Sabah — in 12 matches in all competitions, taking seven points from eight rounds, their worst return at this stage since the 1986-87 season.

How the match unfolded, according to Anadolu

The Anadolu agency describes the key moments: Ryan opened the scoring in the 41st minute with a low strike after a free kick from Justin Kluivert; four minutes later Leny Yoro slipped near his own box, and Adrien Truffert sent Tavernier in on an empty net. Evanilson scored the third goal after a long ball from Lewis Cook, when the windy weather held the ball up and goalkeeper Senne Lammens came out of his box. Earlier, Evanilson's goal early in the second half was ruled out for offside. United missed a chance to get back into the game: George Petrovic saved Bryan Mbeumo's shot. Manchester United's next match is on Saturday against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool beat Brighton, Isak keeps his streak going

At Anfield, Liverpool beat Brighton 2:0. According to Anadolu, the first goal in the 17th minute was credited after a shot from Florian Wirtzfrom which the ball deflected into the net off Pascal Gross; the second goal in the 21st minute also came off a deflection from Gross. AFP notes that Alexander Isak scored his goal — the Swede now has six goals in seven league matches and three in his last four, vindicating the £125 million ($167 million) transfer after his controversial move from Newcastle. For Liverpool coach Andoni Iraola it is his first league win at Anfield after three failed attempts since the start of the season; the team have won four matches in a row in all competitions and climbed to fourth place, six points behind leaders Manchester City and one behind third-placed Brighton. In other matches of the day, Newcastle beat Crystal Palace 2:0 (goals from William Osula and Harvey Barnes), increasing the pressure on coach Pierre Sage, Hull drew 1:1 with Brentford, and Sunderland drew 0:0 with Leeds.

Why it matters

Sunday's results directly affect the fates of coaches and the clubs' standings: according to AFP, it is Carrick, rather than the owners, who is most likely to be the 'fall guy' after another failure, although the outlet stresses that changing a coach is not a quick fix for a club that has been declining since Alex Ferguson's departure 13 years ago. For fans, the practical takeaway is that United are hovering one point above the relegation zone, while Liverpool under Iraola have for the first time this season established themselves in the upper part of the table. Uncertainty remains: Carrick's future has not been officially decided, and his words 'we'll have to wait and see' offer no clarity.