Erik ten Hag is far from alone in finding Old Trafford degenerating into a swirl of confusion around him

On Sunday, Aston Villa, fifth in the table, perhaps drained after Wednesday’s euphoric win over Bayern Munich, drew 0-0 against a lower mid-table side. Under normal circumstances that wouldn’t get the pulses racing, particularly not on a day when Brighton came from 2-0 down to beat Tottenham and Chelsea against Nottingham Forest degenerated into a 15-man melee. But this is Manchester United we’re talking about.

At some point, perhaps, the fascination will fade, but more than 11 years since Sir Alex Ferguson left, the soap opera remains as compelling as ever. How can the most successful team in English league history, the club with the highest average attendances, have got things so badly, so consistently, wrong? The basic law of football is that money rises, that the rich eventually prevail: for United to defy that basic truth for so long represents a remarkable commitment to mismanagement.

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Ederson is showing his worth to Manchester City and Everton’s Jordan Pickford silences the boo-boys

After Ederson made several vital saves to deny Fulham – and particularly Adama Traoré – Pep Guardiola revealed that summer interest from Saudi clubs for the Manchester City No 1 was never firmed up. “He knew from day one I didn’t want it, we didn’t want it,” said the City manager. “But the offer didn’t come – the real offer. Because they [Al-Nassr] made an offer, but for the keeper, for the team who won four Premier Leagues in a row, he has a value, a price. Otherwise, he cannot leave.” Guardiola praised the Brazilian for regaining his focus after the uncertainty. “Ederson is so strong: in one second, he says: ‘OK, I’m here, I’m going to do my best.’” Guardiola also believes the presence of Stefan Ortega has pushed his first-choice keeper. “Sometimes Ederson has to have the feeling that he has to perform well, otherwise Stefan can play. And this healthy competition, because they respect [each other] and have an incredible relationship, makes our team better.” Jamie Jackson

Match report: Manchester City 3-2 Fulham

Match report: Aston Villa 0-0 Manchester United

Match report: Arsenal 3-1 Southampton

Match report: Chelsea 1-1 Nottingham Forest

Match report: Brighton 3-2 Tottenham

Ghost ship will only right itself with painstaking progress – but that didn’t make 0-0 draw less torturous to watch

My favourite Benjamin Disraeli story – in a crowded if largely apocryphal field – comes from a dinner party the then prime minister attended in the late 1870s. War is raging in the Balkans, and with public opinion overwhelmingly in favour of a British intervention, the mood at the table is understandably tense. Eventually one guest, unable to bear the awkward silence any longer, bursts out: “Mr Disraeli, what are you waiting for?”

“At this moment, madam,” Disraeli replies, “the potatoes.”

• United endure worst start to Premier League season
• Ten Hag expects to speak to board in coming days

Erik ten Hag insisted he was on the same page as the Manchester United hierarchy and said he had received no indication from the owners that he does not retain their support.

On Friday United’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe swerved the chance to offer Ten Hag his backing and the Dutchman acknowledged there was pressure to “step up” after a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa, in front of United’s executives, meant the club registered their worst start to a Premier League season. Without a win in five matches in all competitions, United are 14th in the league, five points above the relegation zone after scoring only five goals in seven games.

Manchester United battled hard for their draw against a disappointing Villa, but 14th place and five goals in seven league games mean Erik ten Hag remains under pressure

Where is the game? Villa will, of course, look to exploit United’s lack of pace at the back, while outmuscling and outrunning them in midfield – in fairness, my 11-year-old daughter’s team would fancy themselves to manage that. I’d also expect Bailey to target the hole left by Diogo Dalot when he inverts, while Jaden Philogene will back himself to have too much power for Noussair Mazraoui.

The problem United have – and have always had under Ten Hag – is a lack of control. Højlund’s hold-up play is unlikely to help them retain possession, while the wide players are focused on going for goal – likewise Bruno Fernandes behind them. This may or may not lead to the spamming of hopeful passes to no one…

Quite what this draw does for Erik ten Hag is unknown but it may just spare him the indignity of what would have happened had Manchester United slumped to defeat at Aston Villa. Maybe. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Sir Dave Brailsford, Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox, United’s top brass, had the best seats in the house and will surely review Ten Hag’s position over the international break. Bruno Fernandes rattled the crossbar with a fine free-kick and United’s performance was hardly disgraceful. And yet, their last win was against Barnsley and it is now five games without a win.

From training at Boavista the morning after Harry Maguire’s stoppage-time intervention against Porto to a grey Sunday afternoon in Birmingham. Kobbie Mainoo was among those involved in Friday’s session exclusively designed for players, Alejandro Garnacho aside, who did not begin the draw and Mainoo returned to the starting lineup here as one of four changes. Ten Hag’s boldest calls, however, came in defence with Jonny Evans, 37 in January, and Maguire, 31, parachuted into the heart of the United backline in place of Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martínez. Ten Hag’s team selection prompted Gary Neville to joke he thought he and his brother, Phil, may be playing at full-back. At least it seemed he was joking. Maguire only made it until half-time after picking up an apparent muscle injury deep into stoppage time that left him with a giant hole in his sock and required him to be helped off the pitch by two members of United’s medical staff.

• ‘Every one of us has to do better’ for Erik ten Hag
• Maguire surprised by omission from England squad

Harry Maguire has urged his teammates not to blame Erik ten Hag for Manchester United’s poor form but to take personal responsibility, as they head for Sunday’s pivotal trip to Aston Villa.

United are looking to bounce back from last weekend’s demoralising 3-0 loss to Tottenham in the Premier League at Old Trafford and allowing a 2-0 lead over Porto in the Europa League to become a 3-2 deficit, before Maguire’s equaliser in added time.

Over five windows and a £600m spend, few arrivals have made a significant positive impact at Manchester United

The first signing of the Erik ten Hag era, ticking the key criterion of coming from the Eredivisie. It’s difficult to say too much about a player who last featured in June 2023. The left-back made a lot of appearances in his first season but a knee injury has kept him out for 16 months. Rating 1/5

Twelve goals, multiple mistakes – we assess the goals let in by Ten Hag’s team this term and the lessons unlearned

Thursday’s 3-3 draw at Porto means Manchester United have conceded 12 goals in the opening nine games of the season, and there are recurring themes: the scorer allowed a lot of space in the box, defenders not being aggressive enough, crosses being a particular problem. We analyse every goal and give each one a rating out of five for awfulness. We’ve not included the Community Shield as that was only partly competitive. You might want to look away, Erik …

• Minority owner evasive when asked about club’s manager
• Ratcliffe: ‘I don’t want to answer that … he’s a good coach’

The Manchester United co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has added to the uncertainty of Erik ten Hag’s future by declaring any decision on the manager is “not my call”.

Speaking in Barcelona, in the aftermath of the Ineos Britannia, the sailing team he funds, winning the Louis Vuitton Cup to reach next week’s America’s Cup, Ratcliffe was asked about his other sporting interest.

• Manchester United captain sent off in two straight games
• Manager plays down talk of team’s disciplinary problems

Erik ten Hag has denied that Manchester United have a discipline problem after Bruno Fernandes received a second red card in successive games against Porto on Thursday, following on from the one he received against Tottenham on Sunday and which was eventually overturned by the Football Association on appeal.

Fernandes’s sending-off in the 3-0 defeat by Spurs was the result of a straight red card. United also received five yellow cards during the contest at Old Trafford, with two more being shown to their captain in his native Portugal in midweek, each for a high boot, the second on the central defender Nehuén Pérez as Fernandes attempted to meet a cross close to Porto’s goal as United trailed 3-2 in a Europa League game they eventually drew 3-3 thanks to Harry Maguire’s stoppage-time header.

Manchester United left Porto's Estádio do Dragão with a point after squandering a two-goal lead, leading Erik ten Hag to criticise his team's defending. Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Højlund gave Manchester United an early lead before Harry Maguire equalised in stoppage time after the hosts fought back to lead 3-2.

"The players executed the plan brilliantly," Ten Hag said. "Then we switched off ... you concede the first goal, you light up the fire in this stadium.

"I have to watch it back. I think over the left side, definitely, we didn't defend well tonight. And Marcus [Rashford] also played a part in this ... but as I say it had to do with Garnacho. Nothing against 'Rashy'."

• Ten Hag criticises Rashford in Porto but denies substitution was punishment

Gary O’Neil finds himself in a tight spot, Jadon Sancho helps lead Chelsea revival and Leicester need to get on front foot

Liverpool have not lost at Selhurst Park since November 2014 when Dwight Gayle opened the scoring in a 3-1 win for a side then managed by Neil Warnock. But having seen their title challenge waver last season after losing at Anfield in April to a goal from Eberechi Eze, Arne Slot will be wary of facing a Crystal Palace team that has yet to record a victory in the Premier League this season. Fresh from his brilliant goal against Bologna in the Champions League, Mohamed Salah will be licking his lips at the prospect of facing a new-look Palace defence that has not looked convincing this season despite a 0-0 draw against Manchester United in their last home match. The Egyptian scored his 200th Liverpool goal against them in December to take his tally to eight in just 11 appearances, not to mention seven assists. Ed Aarons

Crystal Palace v Liverpool, Saturday 12.30pm (all times BST)

Arsenal v Southampton, Saturday 3pm

Brentford v Wolves, Saturday 3pm

Leicester v Bournemouth, Saturday 3pm

Manchester City v Fulham, Saturday 3pm

West Ham v Ipswich, Saturday 3pm

• Manager unhappy with United’s defending in Porto
• ‘Don’t judge us in this moment,’ he says after 3-3 draw

Erik ten Hag criticised Marcus Rashford for his part in the poor defending that allowed Porto’s opening goal in Manchester United’s 3-3 draw with Porto, but denied the forward was taken off for this at half-time, stating it was simply to rotate his squad.

United raced into a 2-0 lead on 20 minutes at Estádio do Dragão through Rashford and Rasmus Højlund but let this slip as Pepê and Samu drew Porto level across seven first-half minutes. Pepê’s goal derived from a cross along Rashford’s left flank and the manager was asked if this was why he replaced him with Alejandro Garnacho.

The darkest point is supposedly always before dawn. Did Harry Maguire’s late equaliser cast Manchester United’s 3-0 loss against Tottenham as this? Because beforehand, Erik ten Hag was leading his men into an ever bleaker pitch-blackness. From 2-0 up to 2-2 in seven first-half minutes, to allowing a third that seemed to kill off United, then to Bruno Fernandes’s second red card in two matches. This seemed to have Ten Hag’s tenure heading for oblivion.

It may still do: the Dutch manager likes to quip he is no Harry Potter. The escape here with a draw has him, for tonight, as Harry Houdini. But for how long can he escape the Sir Jim Ratcliffe axe?

• Updates from the 8pm BST start at the Estádio do Dragão
• Ferencvaros v Tottenham, Europa League – live updates
• Live scores | Share your thoughts with Tim via email

2 min And again! Samu is the provider this time, cutting back from the inside-right channel. Galeno’s shot is on target and Onana tips it over.

1 min Porto in the United box already! Their striker Samu gets a shot in, but it’s easily blocked.

• Manager expects players to react after Spurs defeat
• Results at Porto and Aston Villa could decide his future

Erik ten Hag has stated that Manchester United are “mad” at losing 3-0 against Tottenham on Sunday and must use it as motivation against Porto on Thursday in a game the manager may need to win to keep his job.

United’s woeful display against Spurs has left Ten Hag’s position in the balance and, with the team down in 13th place in the Premier League, he desperately needs a reaction in the Europa League on Thursday.

• FA overturn Manchester United captain’s early dismissal
• Means he can face Aston Villa, Brentford and West Ham

Erik ten Hag has received a welcome boost after Bruno Fernandes’s red card in Manchester United’s 3-0 loss to Tottenham on Sunday was deemed by the Football Association to be a wrongful dismissal. It means the captain’s three-game ban has been reversed.

With United in 12th following the weekend humiliation, and Ten Hag’s job in the balance due to United’s poor start to the season, Fernandes had been set to miss Sunday’s trip to Aston Villa, as well as games against Brentford and West Ham. He can now feature in all of those fixtures after United decided to appeal the decision by referee Christopher Kavanagh to send-off the midfielder just before half-time at Old Trafford for his seemingly reckless challenge on James Maddison as the hosts trailed 1-0. Replays clearly showed Fernandes had slipped as he looked to close down Maddison and that this had a material impact on his subsequent challenge, which was also little more than a light clip, making it somewhat baffling that VAR did not overturn the decision at the time.

Outcome of games against Porto and Aston Villa may settle things for United’s board despite desire to show faith

After deciding in the summer not to sack Erik ten Hag and extending his contract to 2026, the Sir Jim Ratcliffe-led football department would appear a touch silly if he were removed six Premier League matches into the season. So, the stance at the club the morning after the 3-0 humiliation by Tottenham at Old Trafford on Sunday was a resolve to remain serene while acknowledging the defeat, and its manner, as anathema to the excellence pursued by Ratcliffe, his chief executive, Omar Berrada, and the sporting director, Dan Ashworth. Ten league outings may seem a more prudent test of Ten Hag and his piloting of the squad but lose at Porto, on Thursday in the Europa League, and at Aston Villa, on Sunday in the league, and the cull may come. Especially with an international break after the Villa game.

• Dutchman expected to stay for next two matches at least
• Defeat to Porto or Aston Villa could result in his removal

Erik ten Hag is set to remain Manchester United manager for Thursday’s trip to Porto and Sunday’s visit to Aston Villa, with the club’s executive “calm” regarding his position despite Sunday’s humiliating 3-0 loss to Tottenham.

The reverse at Old Trafford leaves United 12th in the Premier League with seven points from six matches, and a goal difference of -3, having scored only five times. Sunday’s result represented a second consecutive 3-0 loss in the league at home, following the capitulation to Liverpool on 1 September.