Fernandes seen wiping tears as 10-man United collapse to Chelsea for ninth winless match

Bruno Fernandes appeared to wipe away tears at full-time as Manchester United slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, extending their winless run to nine matches and leaving them 17th in the Premier League, just above the relegation zone.

Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer scored second-half goals to settle the contest for Chelsea, with United’s task made significantly harder by a red card for Lisandro Martinez. The result means United have taken just seven points from nine league matches — the club’s worst start to a season since 1988.

After the final whistle, United’s players walked to the away end to applaud the travelling supporters who had stayed throughout. Fernandes was caught on camera staring blankly ahead before appearing to wipe tears from his face as he left the pitch.

The Portuguese captain had been dropped for last weekend’s 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth, but returned to the starting line-up at Stamford Bridge following clear-the-air talks with manager Michael Carrick during the week — talks prompted by Fernandes’ widely reported comments made in Como. Despite his restored role, he was unable to prevent United from squandering several first-half chances before the match unravelled after the break.

Carrick, whose position continues to attract scrutiny, defended his side’s first-half display and offered measured praise for Fernandes after the defeat. “I was happy with the team first half, especially individually in it,” Carrick said. “The discipline, the role, the quality of the football were all there.”

On the travelling supporters, Carrick added: “There is a lot of emotion, we’re a great football club, and we want to win football matches. The supporters come, make a lot of effort, pay a lot of money to watch us play. Things have gone against us, and gone against us in a big way. Unravelled quickly. A lot of emotion right now. We have got to move forward and take the things that worked for us today.”

Carrick has won just two of his 13 matches in charge, and the United hierarchy are reported to be weighing up potential replacements, with Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte among the names under consideration. For now, the supporters in west London directed their frustration at the club’s ownership rather than the manager, chanting Carrick’s name throughout.