Carrick's Manchester United face five brutal fixtures after Chelsea defeat deepens crisis

Manchester United’s 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge on Saturday extended their winless run to 13 games and left interim manager Michael Carrick facing one of the most daunting fixture sequences of the season.

Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer scored in the second half to settle the contest for Chelsea, despite United dominating the opening 45 minutes. Amad and Bruno Fernandes both spurned clear chances, and Matheus Cunha had a goal ruled out, leaving Carrick to reflect on what might have been.

“We’ve got to move forward,” Carrick said after the game. “We have to take the things that worked for us today and use that moving forward. I’m just looking forward to getting the boys ready for midweek now.”

That midweek assignment is a Champions League home tie against AS Roma at Old Trafford on Tuesday. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have lost just once this season — against Real Madrid in Europe — and boast Donyell Malen as their standout performer, with the forward having scored 10 goals in all competitions.

United’s final Premier League fixture before the November international break is against Aston Villa, who have won seven of their last nine games. Unai Emery’s side have recorded marquee victories over Manchester City and Newcastle United in recent weeks, though they were beaten by Bournemouth in a heavily rotated Carabao Cup outing earlier this week.

After the two-week domestic pause, United travel to Anfield to face Liverpool, who have won their last five matches. Andoni Iraola’s side have also been in formidable form, defeating Bournemouth, Brighton and Atletico Madrid — all teams who have already beaten United this season.

A Champions League trip to Sporting CP follows shortly after. The Portuguese side have been largely dominant domestically but have struggled in Europe, offering United a potential foothold.

The run concludes with a home game against Brentford at Old Trafford. Keith Andrews’ side had gone four games without a win before bouncing back with a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the weekend, a result that lifted them to sixth in the table — twelve places above United, who sit eighteenth.

With defeats to Como and Bournemouth already among the low points of Carrick’s brief tenure, the coming weeks will test whether the club’s decision to back him can be justified.