As Manchester United finds themselves in a familiar autumn crisis, they are eager to prevent a third consecutive defeat across all competitions in their upcoming Premier League clash against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday. The Red Devils recently experienced a disastrous 3-2 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in the EFL Cup, while Fulham narrowly defeated West Ham United by the same scoreline. In a match marred by one of the most controversial VAR decisions in Premier League history, Manchester United's downfall was largely self-inflicted, leaving an under-pressure Michael Carrick appearing defeated. For the first time in fifty years, and before Carrick's time, United lost at Old Trafford after leading by two goals, giving up a significant advantage to Brighton, reminiscent of their previous embarrassing exit to Grimsby Town. While fans may point to officiating errors during their Manchester derby loss, the dismal performance on Wednesday was entirely on Carrick and his squad, who have managed to win only one of their four Premier League matches this season. Additionally, only one of United's six matches across all competitions has seen them keep a clean sheet — a 4-0 victory over Sabah in the Champions League. In four out of the other five fixtures, they have conceded at least twice. This troubling trend includes both of their away games in the Premier League, where they fell to Hull City (2-0) and drew against Everton (2-2), putting them at risk of failing to win their first three away matches in consecutive seasons. As scrutiny increases around Carrick's future, his counterpart, Alvaro Arbeloa, is currently the second favorite among bookmakers to be the first Premier League manager dismissed this season, trailing only behind Carrick himself.