Man United latest: Under-fire Michael Carrick issues defiant response after watching team fall apart at Chelsea

Chelsea didn’t even have to be good in this 2-0 win, as witnessed in the opening goal. Morgan Rogers was allowed to run in a straight line through the defensive structure of the United team. It was remarkable to see that at this level of football.

There was then the entire Lisandro Martinez episode, the defender getting a second booking for the match-settling penalty after what must have been one of the most dismal 10 minutes for a player of that level in modern Premier League history.

As Carrick was further pressed on what being in the relegation zone might actually mean, he merely went on: “You can move up the league quite quickly if you win football matches.”

Except, United don’t look like doing that any time soon. They haven’t won in nine, their worst run since 1988.

While there’s been a lot of focus on Carrick’s demeanour and how a measured approach that used to be considered a strength now looks a weakness, it’s hard to see how there couldn’t be more fury at this.

Chelsea eased to victory against Manchester United after Lisandro Martinez’s red card piled the pressure on Michael Carrick.

Morgan Rogers scored a stunning opening goal after a chaotic first half where United wasted several chances to take the lead at Stamford Bridge.

The forward danced through the United defence and then chipped goalkeeper Senne Lammens before the visitors fell apart.

Martinez was booked twice in two minutes while also conceding a needless penalty for leading with his forearm in a challenge on Wesley Fofana.

Cole Palmer scored the penalty to condemn United to a third consecutive defeat, while they are now nine games without a win in all competitions.

Here are how the players rated at Stamford Bridge

Michael Carrick continued to believe that he saw a “dangerous” Manchester United team despite their defeat to Chelsea.

United were the better team in the first half but missed chance after chance to take the lead and were punished by Morgan Rogers.

A needless red card for Lisandro Martinez left Carrick facing a losing battle to save the result in west London and perhaps now his job as well.

“We’ve got to keep moving forward and winning games,” said Carrick. “It’s as simple as that. There’s no words that I can explain to you now that will make it any different. It’s not going to change it. We’ve got to move forward and win matches.

“I thought it was as good as we’d played for some time in the first half. We looked dangerous, we looked fluid, we looked like a good team.

“(The red card) is a big moment in the game. Second half got away from us. It’s something we’ve got to deal with. Sometimes you get setbacks in a game and you’ve got to deal with that better. Two halves of football probably couldn’t be more further apart.”

As Michael Carrick walked into the press room at Stamford Bridge, with many waiting to hear whether he might actually muster some fire, there was also an eye on results elsewhere: a few permutations could have meant England’s most successful club dropped into the relegation zone at this stage of the season – now a quarter in – for the first time since 1986.

That alone is a stark reality, which would be a line in the sand in any other setting.

It barely needs to be said that moment in 1986 was of course when United appointed Sir Alex Ferguson. The rest is history, but this is the present and there is no sign of any salvation – from anywhere.

Carrick was asked whether there was any stigma for this club to be in the relegation zone, and remarkably said “no, not for me”.

You could say that was just of a piece with a bafflingly passive demeanour amid the club’s worst crisis since the actual last relegation season of 1973-74.

Carrick looked a beaten man presiding over a beaten team.

And consequently, it has gradually started to look like a team that can actually get relegated, too. It all looks that rotten, that broken, that structurally dysfunctional.

Carrick felt his team had produced a ‘positive’ performance up to Lisandro Martinez’s red card and expects to still be in charge when United host Roma on Tuesday.

Michael Carrick denied he had been let down by Lisandro Martinez after Manchester United unravelled following the defender’s red card at Chelsea.

The centre-back was booked twice in two minutes and conceded a second-half penalty for his challenge on Wesley Fofana in the box.

The Manchester United manager ended his post match press conference by issuing praise to the fans who continue to support the team.

He said: “The supporters have been absolutely amazing and, not just turning up, the effort, the money they spend, all that for sure but they’re being really tested at the moment.

“They’ve gone through some really big highs over the years and it’s easy to go the other way. The way they’ve stuck by all of us and supported the team, went through the second half in difficult circumstances, stayed behind, that sums up what they’re all about.

“We’ve got to give them something to really get their teeth into in a good direction, like the first half. I’m not clinging to the first half as a huge positive but I think they’re the types of feelings and performances that we have to give to them.

“We massively appreciate them for being what they are and they’re showing everything they are at the moment, I have to say.”

“There is a lot of emotion, you know. We’re a great football club and we want to win football matches,” Carrick explained.

“The supporters come and, I’ve said many times, make a lot of effort, pay a lot of money to watch us play.

“You can see, from today, the boys had the game in the right place and things have gone against us and gone against us in a big way, unravelled quite quickly, so there is a lot of emotion running around right now.”

Here are some more thoughts from Michael Carrick who was asked what he’ll take away from this game.

“I think I take away a lot of the positives from the first half,” Carrick said.

“I think we still take away, though, finding a way to let the game unravel and it get away from us.

“It’s happened too often really so we’ve got to learn from that and we’ve got to do something about it pretty quickly.”

Today’s match isn’t quite evidence enough that Michael Carrick should lose his job.

United were the better team in the first half and have scored at least once.

The defending for Morgan Rogers’ goal was shocking with Lisandro Martinez too far away from centre-back partner Harry Maguire.

The Argentine was then booked for multiple fouls on Rogers in a separate move and just 82 seconds later he elbowing Wesley Fofana in the chin during a corner and received a second yellow card followed by a red.

The challenge also resulted in a penalty which Cole Palmer scored and at 2-0 down with 10-men on the pitch there was no way back for United.