El United took another hit at Old Trafford and now the Premier League is starting to smell

What a way to return to Old Trafford. Manchester United lost 3-0 to Bournemouth, extended its winless run to eight matches and dropped to 16th in the Premier League, just one point above the relegation zone. The nice plan of using home ground as a launch pad has rather gone sideways.

Three Brazilian goals, one costly mistake

Bournemouth scored through Rayan, Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson. Rayan opened the scoring in the 38th minute. Tavernier doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time, capitalizing on a turnover on Yoro's right side. Evanilson completed the rout in the 71st minute with a shot that went over goalkeeper Lammens after a through ball from Lewis Cook.

That third goal also exposed a defensive communication breakdown involving Lammens, Lisandro Martínez and Harry Maguire. Martínez, who came on in the 65th minute for Ayden Heaven, did not have time to make much of an impact. He arrived, and shortly afterward his team conceded the goal that sealed the match. A quick turnaround, to put it kindly.

“Sometimes you have to be more brave under pressure, take the risk of pressing high and make them uncomfortable.”Bruno Fernandes

Fernandes remained on the bench and never entered the field. His words after the 4-1 defeat to Como in the Champions League, however, did put pressure on the tactical approach. Four days later, coach Michael Carrick described the team selection as a purely sporting decision and said the club is seeking the performance it wants.

The table is now genuinely uncomfortable. The United has five defeats in its eight-match winless run, a streak that requires going back to the 2015-2016 season to find something comparable. The next opponents are Chelsea, Aston Villa and Liverpool: three games that could turn a narrow relegation cushion into a much less comfortable situation.

Liverpool also leaves with three points

Liverpool also won on Sunday, beating Brighton 2-0. Pascal Gross scored an own goal in the 17th minute and Alexander Isak added the second in the 21st. The Swedish striker has now scored six goals in seven appearances this season, while Mac Allister started and played the full 90 minutes.

Manchester United, meanwhile, has to work out how to stop the slide before the schedule tightens the screws. Can the team find some football again before Chelsea, Aston Villa and Liverpool arrive? The next one was always going to be complicated. This one, by the way, was the rehearsal for the real exam.