Liverpool secured their first home win of the Premier League season with a 2-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday. Meanwhile, Manchester United suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth, increasing pressure on manager Michael Carrick.
United’s latest setback came after Carrick dropped captain Bruno Fernandes. The decision followed the Portuguese midfielder’s criticism of his tactics during a 4-1 Champions League defeat to Italian side Como in midweek.
However, the move failed to inspire United. Rayan opened the scoring for Bournemouth in the 38th minute before Marcus Tavernier doubled the visitors’ lead before half-time.
Evanilson then added a superb third goal. More supporters headed for the exits as United struggled to mount a comeback. The final whistle was greeted by loud boos from the home fans.
The defeat left Carrick’s side 16th in the table with seven points, just one above the relegation zone. United have also gone without a league win since beating Ipswich Town 5-2 on August 30.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Carrick admitted uncertainty about his future.
“It’s a tough situation, there’s no hiding from it. What it looks like and what’s next I really don’t know. I will always do my best for the football club, and I won’t change that now. I love what I do, and I feel the responsibility. We’ll have to wait and see.”
Stand-in captain Harry Maguire also admitted that the players needed to improve.
“This is a huge club, and every day you have to prove why you’re wearing this badge. At the moment, we’re not doing enough as players. Michael turned our season on its head last year, and we played brilliant football and got brilliant results – this season, we haven’t performed well enough as individuals,” he said.
Liverpool end Brighton’s winning run
At Anfield, Liverpool produced a strong first-half display to end Brighton’s four-match winning run in the league.
Pascal Gross turned Florian Wirtz’s shot into his own net in the 17th minute. Four minutes later, Alexander Isak doubled Liverpool’s lead with a first-time finish from Bradley Barcola’s pass.
Isak, who scored in the league for the third consecutive game, praised the team’s performance.
“The first half is really what we want to be about – intensity and winning balls and countering. So yeah, I’m really happy, especially with the first half,” he said.
The victory lifted Liverpool to fourth place with 15 points, one behind Brighton. Manchester City remained top with 21 points despite losing 2-1 to Aston Villa on Saturday. Arsenal occupied second place on goal difference.
Elsewhere, Newcastle United beat Crystal Palace 2-0. Hull City drew 1-1 with Brentford, while Sunderland and Leeds United played out a goalless draw.
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