Michael Carrick's decision to leave captain Bruno Fernandes out of his Manchester United side blew up in spectacular fashion on Sunday, as Manchester United were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth at Old Trafford in a result that has left the manager's position hanging by a thread.
Rayan opened the scoring in the 38th minute, Marcus Tavernier doubled the lead four minutes later, and Francisco Evanilson completed the rout in the 71st minute to condemn the home side to yet another chastening afternoon in front of their own supporters.
A gamble that failed
Manchester United's winless run was extended to eight games after the 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth, a sequence that has transformed the opening months of the season into a full-blown crisis at Old Trafford.
The defeat means this is United's worst start to a season in over 40 years, a statistic that underlines just how far the club has fallen from its old standards under Carrick.
From Como backlash to the bench
The decision to leave out Fernandes did not come from nowhere. Carrick had left Bruno Fernandes out of the team for the Premier League clash and didn't bring him off the bench, after his criticism of the team's tactics following a 4-1 humbling against Como in midweek in the Champions League, a result still fresh in supporters' minds after the humbling defeat in Italy.
The fallout from Como
Fernandes had suggested it was the responsibility of the manager and his coaching staff to identify problems and make changes during matches after that European collapse, prompting Carrick's drastic response days later.
Instead of vindicating the manager, the gamble unravelled almost immediately, with Bournemouth having the ball in the net inside 25 seconds of the restart after more disastrous defending once half-time substitutions had already been made.
Fans sing for Carrick, turn on the players
The scenes at the final whistle captured the strange mood around the club. Michael Carrick's name was sung loud and proud by the United fans, but he looked very emotional at the final whistle as he walked around the pitch and thanked them, while fans then rounded on their players and hounded and booed them off the pitch when Carrick disappeared down the tunnel.
Where this leaves Manchester United
A grim position in the table
Carrick's bold decision to drop captain Bruno Fernandes backfired as defeat stretched United's winless run to eight games and left them 16th in the Premier League, just one point above the relegation zone. The club's struggles have already prompted scrutiny over the manager's position, a debate explored in depth after the board's recent stance on his future was reported by SportVoz.
Bournemouth's rise under Rose
At the other end, it was the third time in four seasons that the Cherries won 3-0 at Old Trafford, as goals from Rayan, Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson secured a fully deserved win for Marco Rose's side. The result continues a pattern of discomfort for United against a side they have historically struggled to beat, echoed in recent weeks by the tight goalless draw against Tottenham at the same venue.
What comes next for Carrick
Goalkeeper errors have become a recurring theme during United's slump, with a big error from Senne Lammens, who came off his line as Evanilson fired home from a tight angle to make it 3-0 compounding an already miserable afternoon. Carrick himself admitted to broadcasters afterwards that managers are sometimes forced into difficult calls to try to change the course of a match, acknowledging the scale of the pressure now surrounding his position.
With United sitting just above the relegation zone and the winless run now standing at eight matches, the coming weeks in the Premier League look set to determine whether Carrick remains in charge or whether the club moves on from its latest managerial appointment.