After making progress against Chelsea, Manchester United regressed two positions with an ignominious 3-0 loss to Bournemouth.
The Premier League behemoths, who rose to sixth in the standings, would have been eager to consolidate on their midweek victory over the Blues.
With pivotal matches approaching, momentum would have been critical as United commenced an arduous football week.
Nevertheless, Bournemouth entered Old Trafford with a specific objective and emerged triumphant by a deserved 3-0.
An audacious backheel finish by Dominic Solanke within the first five minutes indicated that the Cherries were determined to cause an upset.
Marcus Tavernier’s header was offside for Solanke just before halftime, even though Andoni Iraola’s squad believed they had scored.
United supporters booed their team off at halftime for a lackluster first-half performance in which they failed to capitalize on their opportunities.
The situation deteriorated further in the middle of the second half when Bournemouth substitute Philip Billing headed in a second.
Marcos Senesi scored an unimpeded header from a corner kick just five minutes later, extending their lead to three.
At this time, Ten Hag must prepare his squad for two enormous contests.
At the final chime, boos were once again audible as United suffered their seventh league loss of the season.
Erik ten Hag will be concerned about the outcome as he organizes his squad for two of the most difficult contests of the season.
On Tuesday at Old Trafford, Manchester United travels with the knowledge that a victory over Bayern Munich is a prerequisite for advancing to the round of 16 in the Champions League.
The following weekend, they travel to rivals Liverpool, a team that is well-established in the title competition for this season.
In light of the impending opposition they will encounter, United will be cognizant of the considerable importance of the upcoming week’s events.
This most recent outcome against Bournemouth indicates that they may have difficulty facing their next opponent, as results continue to vary from week to week.