Watford yesterday piled on the misery for Jose Mourinho as Manchester United crashed to a third successive defeat in an embarrassing 3-1 loss at Vicarage Road.
Mourinho’s side were rocked by Etienne Capoue’s first-half opener and, although Marcus Rashford equalized after the break, United capitulated in the closing stages.
Juan Camilo Zuniga restored Watford’s lead with seven minutes left before Troy Deeney’s penalty condemned Mourinho to a third consecutive defeat for the first time since he was in charge at Porto in 2002.
Photo: AP
It was the first time United had lost three in a row since the unlamented Louis van Gaal presided over four successive defeats in December last year.
Adding to the indignity for United, it was their first loss in 30 years against Watford, who ended a run of 11 successive defeats against the Manchester giants.
United are already lagging six points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City and the feel-good factor following the three wins that marked the start of the Mourinho era has been completely erased.
After losing to City, Feyenoord in the Europa League and now Watford over the past week, the size of the challenge facing Mourinho as he rebuilds United has been laid bare.
In Saturday’s Premier League action, Arsenal defeated Hull City 4-1, Leicester City got a 3-0 win over Burnley, Manchester City held AFC Bournemouth 4-0, West Bromwich beat West Ham United 4-2, and Everton downed Middlesbrough 3-1.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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