Manchester United were beaten 2-0 by Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday after Lisandro Martinez's sending-off in the second half, but head coach Michael Carrick should not be punished for the defender's behaviour.
As Carrick shielded his eyes from the autumnal sun on the touchline at Stamford Bridge, he would have been forgiven for lowering his hand over his eyes completely given the number of chances his players had wasted.
Carrick's tactics proved sound despite defeat
The story before the Chelsea game was that Carrick had been handed a stay of execution after surviving the Bournemouth hammering. He will be heavily questioned again after a seventh defeat of the season, but on this occasion, he got his tactics right and the players failed to put the ball in the net.
United's lack of goalscorers has been a problem for Carrick all season. Matheus Cunha last scored in the Premier League on the penultimate day of last season, while Amad's last goal was 320 days ago.
Amad missed four big chances himself in the first half. Carrick did not get to his feet from the bench until 10 minutes into the contest, but from there, he cut a frustrated figure as opportunities were spurned.
Martinez's red card proved costly
Cunha thought he had broken the deadlock when he poked home after a knockdown from Harry Maguire. Carrick celebrated wildly with his backroom staff, but the goal was chalked off for offside after a VAR review.
Carrick had the kind of expression on his face of a coach who cannot catch a break. "Everyone here is behind Carrick," said Carlos Baleba before kick-off and his players did indeed produce a response.
It's understood that United worked on their pressing in training on Friday, and Chelsea were effectively forced into mistakes. The problem was that United lacked cutting edge and could not capitalise when it mattered.
Fernandes fails to rediscover form
Fernandes was recalled to the starting team after being an unused substitute against Bournemouth last weekend. Carrick held clear-the-air talks with his captain on Tuesday and defended him in front of the media two days later.
A lot has changed for Carrick in a relatively short space of time. Five months ago when United visited Stamford Bridge, Fernandes assisted the matchwinner and won the man of the match award as the Reds claimed a 1-0 victory to take an important step closer to qualifying for the Champions League.
The midfielder has not been in the same form this season, nor have United, but he was deployed in the No.10 role for the first time in four games, a sensible decision in an attempt to bring him back to form.
Fernandes' questioning of Carrick's tactics did not go down well with supporters, although there was no sign of discontent with the midfielder when he emerged to warm up to chants of "Bruno, Bruno, Bruno."
The backing of the away section and the return to his favoured position was not enough for Fernandes to rediscover form, though. He was caught in possession on a few occasions, dithering on the ball, and ballooned a huge chance after a brilliant pass from Bryan Mbeumo on the counter-attack.
United's winless run extends to nine
Carrick would have been delighted with United's first-half performance but, crucially, a goal was missing. A head coach cannot be held responsible for that sort of wastefulness, and it was impossible to avoid the feeling that United would have been ahead at the break if they had a fit striker.
Chelsea have spent the kind of money that United fans have lambasted the club's ownership for failing to invest, so it felt appropriate that their £117 million summer signing Morgan Rogers opened the scoring.
United's defending for the goal was pitiful, but they were still in the game at one goal behind. That is why Lisandro Martinez's brainless challenge to concede a penalty and send United down to 10 men was so unforgivable.
Martinez accused United's board of letting Carrick down when he spoke after the Atletico Madrid game. He was right, but the facts are that he has been poor this season and let down his teammates at Stamford Bridge.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe broke tradition by not attending the game. The British billionaire is a former Chelsea season ticket holder and attempted to buy the London club before turning his attention to United. Ineos' headquarters are also located in Knightsbridge, a stone's throw away.
Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox were present, however, and the travelling away support made their feelings clear again, airing "you can stick your new stadium up your a***," and "Jason Wilcox is a w*****."
Carrick recently said that it's "not always rosy and nice conversations" between himself, the players and the club's board members. United's winless run has extended to nine, and they could be in the relegation zone by the end of the weekend, but the Chelsea display does not warrant a sacking.
The Bournemouth defeat did warrant a sacking, and now that the board have given Carrick more time, there is no point in rushing the process and sacking him before Roma on Tuesday.
Having said that, it wouldn't be a total surprise if Ineos were reactionary and axed Carrick today. They have limped from one bad decision to another, but it's advisable they lie in the bed they have made for now.
Xabi Alonso has helped Chelsea to leapfrog United in this calendar year. Chelsea finished 10th last season, seven places below United, but the appointment of the Spaniard has seen them take promising steps forward. On the other hand, United have taken significant backwards steps.
Alonso's time in charge of Real Madrid did not work out, but he previously guided Bayer Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title. He is a player-turned-coach on an upward trajectory, unlike Carrick.
There were positives to take from United's performance, but the outcome was still the same. Carrick is unlikely to make it into the winter.
