Martinez Red Card Sinks United as Carrick Faces Mounting Pressure

Manchester United manager Michael Carrick saw his tenure take another hit after his team fell to Chelsea on Saturday.

The Red Devils lost 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, extending a winless streak to nine matches in all competitions.

That stretch represents the club's longest drought without a victory since 1988.

Lisandro Martinez was sent off in the 64th minute after a video review confirmed he struck Wesley Fofana with a raised elbow during a corner.

Chelsea converted the resulting penalty through Cole Palmer, while Morgan Rogers added a second goal later in the half.

Carrick acknowledged the impact of the dismissal, describing it as a huge moment that unraveled the team quickly.

United now sits one point above the relegation zone with just one league win in nine games.

Their next fixture is against Aston Villa, followed by Liverpool, setting up a difficult run for the 20-time English champion.

The day was equally rough for Manchester City, which lost 1-0 to Brighton at the Etihad Stadium.

This marked City's second straight league loss after opening the season with seven wins.

Yasin Ayari scored the winner in the 11th minute, ending Erling Haaland's run of seven consecutive league games with a goal.

Brighton moved into third place, two points behind the leader, after beating both Arsenal and City without conceding a goal this season. City manager Enzo Maresca noted that his team knew it would not win every match, citing the need to move on and secure victories soon. The club still awaits a sanction for large-scale financial rule-breaking found guilty last month, while an appeal is pending. Bournemouth extended its unbeaten run to six straight games without conceding, beating Leeds 2-0. Tottenham also won, defeating 10-man Crystal Palace 2-0 for a third consecutive victory. Crystal Palace dropped to the bottom of the table after Jean-Philippe Mateta received a straight red card for a studs-up tackle on Micky van de Ven. Aston Villa drew 1-1 with Fulham after goalkeeper Zion Suzuki dropped a corner over his own goal line. Sunderland remains in last place following a 3-1 defeat at Coventry.