When Shea Lacey’s first senior goal and a strike from Mason Mount put Manchester United 2-0 up against Brighton and Hove Albion in their Carabao Cup Third Round tie last night, it looked as though the Red Devils had found the perfect response to Sunday’s controversial Manchester derby defeat. By full time, the inquests had begun as Albion had left Old Trafford with a 3-2 win.

The last time United had suffered a home defeat having held a 2-0 lead was against Tottenham Hotspur in September 1976. To put that in context, current boss Michael Carrick was not yet born while the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson was St Mirren manager, having only ended his playing career two years earlier.

It meant that United have now been knocked out of both domestic cup competitions by the Seagulls in 2026, and have not won any match in either the FA Cup or Carabao Cup since Harry Maguire’s added-time winner saw them beat Leicester City in the FA Cup Fourth Round in January 2025.

It was already United’s third defeat of a season that has seen massive fan unrest over the treatment of season ticket holders, a failure to address key areas of the squad and reports that exciting youth prospect JJ Gabriel has asked to have his registration cancelled. The question of where on earth the Red Devils go from here is a complex one.

Questions For Carrick, But Also Sympathy

Stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before. Michael Carrick is the seventh permanent manager to take the Old Trafford hot seat since the retirement of Ferguson in 2013, and his interim spell last season saw United take more points than anyone else in the league – even champions Arsenal.

However, this season they have been beaten by newly promoted Hull City, fallen behind to Ipswich Town and twice failed to turn a lead into victory against Everton. From six games, their only two wins have been against Ipswich and Azerbaijani side Sabah. There have been question marks about his in-game management and inability to fix the club’s long-time issue of breaking down teams that play in a low block.

Carrick’s standing with the fans is helped, though, by his time as a player, which saw him win every possible trophy during an illustrious 12-year spell between 2006 and 2018. There is also an acknowledgement amongst the fans that while he has his shortcomings, the problems at the club run deeper than whoever is the latest man to fill what increasingly feels like the impossible job.

Players Need To Take Accountability

In Erik Ten Hag’s first game in charge against Brighton in August 2022, United started with a back four of Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw. Remarkably, the 5-2 win over Ipswich last month saw the exact same back four starting.

That quartet alone are likely to reach a combined 1,000 appearances, with Dalot making his 250th appearance for the club in Sunday’s Manchester derby. Elsewhere in the squad there is also plenty of experience mixed with youngsters such as Lacey, Kobbie Mainoo and Patrick Dorgu.

In situations such as the draw with Everton, when simply making a clearance would’ve been enough to see out a fragile but important victory, or playing against 10 men for 65 minutes as they did in the derby, the experienced players need to step up; however, this does not seem to be happening based on what is being seen on the pitch.

With the transfer window now closed until January and Carrick only able to do so much from the touchline, there also needs to be accountability from the players. However, barely a month into the season, they seem to be letting down yet another manager.

INEOS: The Rot Begins From The Top

When Failsworth-born Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS agreed a deal to buy a minority stake in Manchester United while taking control of football operations, it seemed as though United fans had been given the ultimate Christmas present- a local boy made good taking control of his boyhood club after nearly two decades of decay under the hated Glazer family.

The reality that has emerged since INEOS’ investment was confirmed in February 2024 has been very different. There has been repeated unrest over brutal cuts to the club’s workforce as well as the treatment of long-term fans, with a number of season ticket holders being moved to prioritise VIP customers.

This summer the latest row involved fans having their season tickets suspended without explanation, with the clubs citing a crackdown on alleged touting. There has also been criticism of CEO Omar Berrada and Director of Football Jason Wilcox following the failure to address the glaring issues with the defence previously mentioned.

Just How Bad Could It Get?

Considering there seem to be glaring issues in every area of the club, it almost feels as though they need a complete clear-out from top to bottom and effectively starting from scratch. A pretty damning indictment of how far the 20-time English champions have fallen.

Back in 2005, fans were on protest marches attempting to stop the Glazer takeover before it even happened. 21 years on, it feels as though everything those fans tried to warn people about are coming to pass, and the club is losing something far more important than matches – its identity.

Legendary former manager Sir Matt Busby once famously said, ‘football is nothing without fans’ – a quote which was displayed in the stands at Old Trafford during lockdown. The relationship between the club and its fans is at an all-time low. Things are bad now, but we may have barely scratched the surface of just how bad things will ultimately get.