Manchester United must want this season to end now.
Make that five straight away losses for United in the English Premier League after a chastening 4-0 thrashing by Brighton on Saturday.
With just one game left this season — at Crystal Palace in two weeks — United has little to play for in a fifth straight season without a trophy.
If Erik ten Hag needed a reminder of the mess he is inheriting when the current Ajax coach takes over at Old Trafford in the offseason, it was this embarrassing performance at Amex Stadium.
Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella scored their first goals in English soccer — Cucurella was reduced to tears after slamming home his shot in the 49th — before strikes by Pascal Gross and Leandro Trossard by the hour mark.
In United’s previous four away games in the league, it lost at Arsenal 3-1, at Liverpool 4-0, at Everton 1-0 and at Manchester City 4-1.
“Your not fit to wear the shirt” didn’t think it was possible for this team to get any worse#MUFC pic.twitter.com/QhN2Xp4Njk
— Adam MATIC!🔰 (@Adamstott30) May 7, 2022
“What I did today was not enough to be in the Manchester United shirt.”
Bruno Fernandes’ reaction to Man United fans singing “You’re not fit to wear the shirt” during their defeat to Brighton pic.twitter.com/P3iaCKdVTJ
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) May 7, 2022
United is in sixth place, five points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, and cannot finish in the Champions League qualification spots.
Burnley’s survival hopes damaged by losing to Villa in EPL
Burnley’s relegation woes deepened after losing to Aston Villa 3-1 in the English Premier League on Saturday for the team’s first defeat under interim manager Mike Jackson. Steven Gerrard’s Villa did both Everton and Leeds a big favor by ripping Burnley apart. Emi Buendia made the most of only his second start since February with a goal and an assist after coming in for the dropped Philippe Coutinho. Danny Ings scored against his old team for a fourth goal in four matches against Burnley, and Ollie Watkins applied the killer blow.
Hodgson’s Watford relegated after losing at Crystal Palace
Watford became the second team to be relegated from the English Premier League after losing at Crystal Palace 1-0 on Saturday.
Even if Roy Hodgson’s team won at Selhurst Park, it was still highly likely to go down. But survival was no longer mathematically possible after Wilfried Zaha’s match-clinching penalty in the 30th minute.
The 74-year-old Hodgson will leave Watford having failed in his short-term mission to prevent the club making an immediate return to the Championship.
Brentford beats Southampton 3-0 to boost hopes for top-10
Brentford scored two early goals in a 3-0 victory over Southampton on Saturday to boost the club’s hopes of a top-half finish in its first season in the English Premier League.
Pontus Jansson and Yoane Wissa scored within a minute of each other as Brentford moved to within a point of 10th-placed Brighton, which hosted Manchester United late Saturday.