Manchester United suffered a demoralising 2-0 loss to Chelsea, leaving Michael Carrick’s men close to the relegation zone after nine Premier League games.
The Red Devils are winless in nine games, and many believe it is only a matter of time before the club’s hierarchy pulls the plug on the English tactician.
Man United missed several chances to take the lead against Chelsea and paid the price when Morgan Rogers jinxed through a nonexistent rearguard to open the scoring.
He then embarrassed Man Utd defender Lisandro Martinez, prompting the Argentine to react mindlessly and give away a penalty, which Cole Palmer converted to make it 2-0.
Palmer’s penalty snuck past Senne Lammens, who got his hand to the effort and should have kept it out. The game-changing penalty came at a good height.
While the lethargy of those in front of him has been the main topic of the past few weeks, Lammens has not covered himself in glory with his performances.
That was an opportunity for the young Belgian to keep his side in the game and give the Red Devils a fighting chance against a very vulnerable side.
Despite Martinez’s red card, Man Utd still had a fighting chance, but it unravelled too quickly.
After giving away a goal in Man United’s 3‐0 loss to Bournemouth at Old Trafford last week, Lammens failed to redeem himself this week.
His opposite number Mike Penders bounced back remarkably from his own clanger last week to deliver a sensational performance.
Penders’ unbelievable save from Bryan Mbeumo’s volley kept his side from going down at a crucial moment. United needed Lammens to do the same.
Man United have become so accustomed to Andre Onana’s abysmal spell at Old Trafford that they seem to have forgotten what a good goalkeeper looks like.
Lammens has been underwhelming, offering little evidence that he can be the reliable last line of defence this team desperately needs.
Man United cannot keep lowering their standards between the posts simply because Onana set the bar embarrassingly low.
The 24-year-old must improve quickly, or the club will need to reconsider their goalkeeping options.