Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim says he is "ready to face the challenge" after his side lost 3-0 at home to AFC Bournemouth, their third loss in four league matches that leaves them in the bottom half of the table at Christmas for the first time in Premier League history.
Teenage defender Dean Huijsen opened the scoring in the first half before a penalty from Justin Kluivert and a smart Antoine Semenyo finish in the space of two second-half minutes sealed the three points for Bournemouth.
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Sunday's match was a second successive defeat in all competitions, after their 4-3 loss at Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup in midweek. In nine matches since Amorim started as head coach, Man Utd have won four, lost four and drawn one.
Man Utd were booed off by some fans at the final whistle at Old Trafford on Sunday following a second consecutive home defeat in the Premier League, conceding six goals across those matches.
Worryingly for Man Utd, only Southampton have conceded three or more goals in more Premier League home games this season than United's four.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
16 | +21 | 39 |
| 2 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
17 | +18 | 35 |
| 3 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
17 | +18 | 33 |
| 4 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
17 | +4 | 31 |
| 5 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
17 | +6 | 28 |
| 6 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
17 | 0 | 28 |
| 7 |
Man City
MCI
|
17 | +4 | 27 |
| 8 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
17 | +6 | 26 |
| 9 |
Fulham
FUL
|
17 | +2 | 25 |
| 10 |
Brighton
BHA
|
17 | +1 | 25 |
| 11 |
Spurs
TOT
|
17 | +14 | 23 |
| 12 |
Brentford
BRE
|
17 | 0 | 23 |
| 13 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
17 | -1 | 22 |
"I always expected [the job to be tough], especially in these busy months. We are ready to face the challenge," Amorim told BBC Match of the Day.
"We have a lot of situations where they managed to score a little bit similar to Tottenham. It's really hard on everyone in the stadium. We have to fight this moment. "It's a very difficult moment. We have to go again next game."
Martinez: We love the pressure
Man Utd centre-back Lisandro Martinez believes despite results "the team are playing so well" and that everyone in the dressing room is confident they can improve their form.
"I always say in this kind of situation we have to show personality and character," Martinez told BBC Match of the Day. "We are playing so well and unfortunately, we couldn't score today. We have to believe. At this club, we have to win every game and we know that.
"We are so angry with this kind of situation. We have to work on set-pieces especially. I believe a lot in this team and staff. if they don't score their first goal from set-pieces then it is a totally different game. We missed many chances today. We have to score. We know what we have to do and we have to change quickly.
"We know how big it is at this club. The expectation is very high, it's a process and you can see we are playing so well but we also concede goals and we have to work on that. I know the fans are impatient with us. We are the only ones who can change it.
"It's football and we have to accept it. We are 100% confident that we will get success in this club. It's a process, I don't want to point the finger at one player. We win together, we lose together. It is a big pressure but we love that. I believe a lot in this group."
Man Utd's next PL fixtures
Pundits: Amorim has to be brutal
Former players Peter Schmeichel and Michael Owen won six titles between them as Man Utd players and know what it takes to succeed at Old Trafford.
"It's very disappointing. Too many mistakes. It doesn't look like a team," Schmeichel said.
Owen added: "Amorim needs to make sure now that's not a wasted game. He'll be watching with eagle eyes and making sure these players that aren't performing won't put on a red shirt again. He's got to be that brutal."
Bournemouth flying high in fifth
Bournemouth's win lifts them to fifth in the Premier League table, with the Cherries now on a five-match unbeaten run.
It is the second successive season they've won 3-0 at Old Trafford, making them the first team in Premier League history to win consecutive away matches against Man Utd via a margin of three or more goals.
Despite being in the race for a top-four finish, both Iraola and Antoine Semenyo are refusing to get carried away and aren't thinking about European qualification.
"It's an important win for us," said Iraola. "We won 3-0 but it was more difficult than it looks when you see 3-0.
"I value the 28 points. I think the amount of points we have is good. At Christmas, it is a good amount."
Semenyo added: "It feels great, back-to-back wins at Old Trafford - my second time here and my second win.
"We know we have a good team and we are taking it game-by-game. I am not going to say too much and I don't want to jinx it."
