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Manchester United suffered a humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth, while Chelsea missed the chance to go top of the Premier League after a 0-0 draw at Everton on Sunday.
United boss Ruben Amorim, who once again left Marcus Rashford out of his squad, faces a miserable Christmas following the worst result of his brief tenure.
Languishing in 13th place, United have endured four defeats in nine matches across all competitions since Amorim arrived from Sporting Lisbon in November to replace the sacked Erik ten Hag.
United’s second successive loss, following their League Cup exit at Tottenham on Thursday, underscored Amorim’s admission that their road back to the top will be long and arduous.
Having conceded first in their last six games, United were booed off at half-time, while the final whistle was greeted by more jeers from the few fans who stayed until the bitter end.
While it is too early to pass judgement on Amorim, the Portuguese coach cannot afford many more results like this if he is to maintain the support of players and fans.
Amorim’s decision to exclude Rashford for the third consecutive game will come under fresh scrutiny after United’s dismal performance.
Surprisingly, Amorim left the 27-year-old England forward out of the squad for United’s win at Manchester City last weekend, prompting Rashford to hint at a desire for a “new challenge”.
Rashford was present at Old Trafford in a United tracksuit amid his extended exile, as Amorim made six changes to the side beaten 4-3 by Tottenham in the League Cup quarter-finals.
United’s vulnerability at set-pieces was exposed again in the 29th minute when Bournemouth’s teenage defender Dean Huijsen capitalised on poor marking at a free-kick to glance a header past Andre Onana.
Things worsened for Amorim in the second half as Justin Kluivert doubled fifth-placed Bournemouth’s lead with a 61st-minute penalty after Noussair Mazraoui fouled the forward.
Antoine Semenyo compounded United’s misery two minutes later, coolly finishing from Dango Ouattara’s pass.
Meanwhile, second-placed Chelsea missed the opportunity to go top, at least temporarily, with a goalless draw at Everton.
Enzo Maresca’s side saw their five-match Premier League winning streak come to an end but remain one point behind leaders Liverpool, who have two games in hand starting with Sunday’s late match at Tottenham.
It was an encouraging start to a new era for Everton, who sit four points clear of the relegation zone under their new owners, the Friedkin Group, marking the end of Farhad Moshiri’s tumultuous tenure.
Everton’s new executive chairman, Marc Watts, watched from the stands at Goodison Park as Chelsea came closest to scoring, with Nicolas Jackson’s first-half header striking the post.
Elsewhere, Wolves boss Vitor Pereira enjoyed a dream debut as his side secured a 3-0 victory over relegation rivals Leicester.
Replacing the sacked Gary O’Neil, former Porto boss Pereira left Saudi Pro League side Al-Shabab to fulfil his dream of managing in England.
Gonçalo Guedes gave Pereira’s era a flying start, meeting Nelson Semedo’s cross with an agile finish in the 19th minute. Rodrigo Gomes doubled the lead in the 36th minute, scoring his first goal for Wolves, while Matheus Cunha sealed the win in the 44th minute from Guedes’ assist.
The victory moves third-bottom Wolves to within two points of fourth-bottom Leicester.
At the bottom of the table, Southampton held Fulham to a 0-0 draw as new manager Ivan Jurić watched from the stands.
Jurić, dismissed by Roma in November after just 12 games, is awaiting a work permit to officially take over from Russell Martin. Southampton remain eight points adrift of safety, with only one win from 17 league games.
AFP
