Manchester United ended Sunday inside the Premier League's relegation places, according to প্রথম আলো, after Nottingham Forest beat Manchester City 3-1 at the City Ground. It is the first time in four decades that United have closed a day in the bottom three at this point in a top-flight season.
The result that did the damage was not United's own. Forest, who began the weekend near the foot of the table, took all three points against City and climbed to 16th on nine points. That rise pushed Michael Carrick's side three places down the standings and into the drop zone. United sit 18th with seven points from nine matches.
According to প্রথম আলো, United's last comparable low came in November 1986, when a 22-team First Division left them 21st after 15 games. Four decades on, the club finds itself in the same uncomfortable position.
Why it matters
For a club of United's size and history, a relegation battle is an unfamiliar and unwelcome story. The table after nine rounds is still early enough to be recovered, but the symbolism of a bottom-three placing carries weight — and so does the timing, coming in a season that প্রথম আলো describes as the club's worst start to a Premier League campaign in its history, and its poorest opening across all competitions in 40 years.
The pressure falls most heavily on Carrick, who is already reported to be at risk of losing his job. The parallels with 1986 are uncomfortable: after that poor start, United dismissed Ron Atkinson in November and replaced him with Sir Alex Ferguson. প্রথম আলো notes that Carrick now faces similar speculation about his future.
Forest's win reshapes the bottom of the table
Nottingham Forest's victory was their first in three league games and lifted them clear of the deepest trouble, at least for now. Their three points had a knock-on effect that United could not control, and it is Forest's move up the table — rather than City's loss in isolation — that placed United in the bottom three.
City's defeat adds another twist to the title picture. Jugantor reported that Arsenal sit firmly at the top of the table, while Anandabazar Patrika noted that Arsenal won on the same weekend City lost. For United, though, the more immediate concern is the cluster of clubs around them.
A rough run and a worse start
United's only league win this season came on 30 August, a 5-2 home victory over Ipswich Town, according to প্রথম আলো. They have not won since.
The club's seven points from nine matches represent their worst beginning to a Premier League season, and their weakest start to any campaign in four decades when all competitions are counted.
There is also a chance the picture worsens before United next take the field. প্রথম আলো reports that if Sunderland beat Chelsea and Crystal Palace avoid defeat against Liverpool, United could fall to 20th before they play Aston Villa. Sunderland currently sit 20th on five points, with Palace 19th on seven.
What to watch
United's next fixture, against Aston Villa, now carries added weight, and Carrick's position will be under close scrutiny in the days around it. The results of Sunderland and Crystal Palace will determine exactly how deep United's hole is by the time they kick off.
