Bruno Fernandes appeared to wipe away tears after Manchester United suffered another damaging defeat at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. United were beaten 2-0 by Chelsea, extending their winless run to nine matches.
Second-half goals from Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer settled the match for the home side, who also benefited from a red card for Lisandro Martinez. The result leaves United in 17th place in the Premier League, just above the relegation zone, with seven points from nine matches - the club's worst start to a campaign since 1988.
Fernandes back in the starting line-up
Having been dropped for the 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth last weekend, Fernandes returned to the starting line-up as captain against Chelsea. The playmaker had held clear-the-air talks with manager Michael Carrick in mid-week after his comments in Como made headlines.
But Fernandes was powerless to prevent another defeat as United missed numerous chances to take the lead before collapsing after the break. His emotions were visible after the final whistle.
Emotional reaction after full-time
United's players went over to the away end at Stamford Bridge to applaud the travelling supporters, who stayed until the end. Fernandes was caught by the TV cameras staring blankly ahead, and as he walked off he seemed to be wiping tears away.
Before the game, Carrick insisted he did not have a problem with his captain and praised his performance in defeat. "I was happy with the team first half, especially individually in it," he told TNT Sports. "The discipline, the role, the quality of the football were all there."
Carrick's position under scrutiny
Carrick's job has been under threat for the past few weeks, with the United hierarchy considering replacements including Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte. But the supporters have backed their former midfielder, chanting his name while attributing the blame to the club's owners.
Asked about the fans, Carrick said: "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. You can see from today the boys had the game in the right place and things have gone against us."
Despite winning just two of his 13 games this season, Carrick is expected to remain in charge for Tuesday's Champions League game against Roma.
