Manchester United

Manchester United are 17th in the Premier League and the question is no longer whether this is a crisis, but who gets blamed first.

Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Chelsea made it nine matches without a win in all competitions. BBC Sport calls it their worst run since 1988-89; Opta's marker for a longer one is ten games in 1984. They have one league win all season: the 5-2 over Ipswich on 30 August. The Guardian counts this as a seventh defeat in 13 games. Crystal Palace were still playing at Tottenham as this was written, and a point for Palace would drop United into the bottom three.

What happened at Stamford Bridge

United had the better of the first half and missed chances at 0-0, The Guardian says. Morgan Rogers then ran through to open the scoring. Lisandro Martínez finished the job: BBC Sport counts two fouls in 83 seconds, the second an elbow on Wesley Fofana at a corner. VAR sent the referee to the screen, Martínez got a second yellow and Cole Palmer converted the penalty. BBC Sport added a pointed footnote: only 18 days earlier Martínez had criticised the club's summer recruitment. He is now suspended for Aston Villa.

Manager and the job

Michael Carrick is head coach. He was widely expected to be sacked after last Sunday's 3-0 defeat by Bournemouth; instead he stayed, and when TNT Sports asked if he expects to be in charge on Tuesday, he said yes. BBC Sport says Eddie Howe, out of work since leaving Newcastle, is a contender if United change. The reception to that link has been mixed among supporters and former players. The Guardian suggests that a new manager alone will not fix the problem.

Key players

• Bryan Mbeumo, the top league scorer with four.
• Bruno Fernandes, the captain, whose three league goals all came in the hat-trick against Ipswich.
• Senne Lammens in goal.
• Benjamin Šeško, ruled out for an extended period with a shin injury, according to BBC Sport, which is why United want a forward in January. The Guardian has him absent until the new year. They have been linked with Leeds' Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but BBC Sport reports he is set to sign a new deal at Elland Road.

Owners and money

Wikipedia lists Manchester United plc on 71.06% and Ineos on 28.94%, with Joel and Avram Glazer as co-chairmen and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, in BBC Sport's words, the minority owner. The Guardian reported chants against director of football Jason Wilcox and urging the Glazers to sell. CEO Omar Berrada and Wilcox were in the stands, it adds. A manager change would not touch the thing supporters keep returning to: a club with two sets of owners, and fans who want one of them gone.

The season so far

A 2-0 defeat at Hull on opening day, the 5-2 win over Ipswich, then four draws and three defeats in the league. Their last five league results: D, D, D, L, L. Sky Sports notes this is the first time since 1973-74, the season they were last relegated, that they have failed to win any of their first seven away games. Wikipedia has them 20th in the Champions League league phase.

Next up

Roma at Old Trafford in the Champions League on Tuesday 3 November. The next league game is Aston Villa at home on Sunday 8 November.