have become increasingly familiar with the bitter taste of defeat over the last decade, often tipping into the humbling realm of humiliation. It's clear that United are a pale imitation of the formidable force constructed during 's 27 years in charge and to follow in the Scotsman's footsteps. The Dutchman is hardly the only successor to stumble in Ferguson's shadow. Every single permanent United manager since the legendary figure's retirement has suffered at least one chastening loss. Here are the most embarrassing defeats since Ferguson announced his retirement more than 10 years ago. Factors taken into consideration when ranking these defeats are as follows: Manchester United's Most Embarrassing Defeats Post-Ferguson 1 5 March 2023
Liverpool 7-0
Manchester United 2 4 October 2020 Manchester United 1-6
Tottenham 3 24 October 2021 Manchester United 0-5 Liverpool 4 26 August 2014 MK Dons 4-0 Manchester United 5 22 September 2013
Manchester City 4-1 Manchester United 6 13 August 2022 Brentford 4-0 Manchester United 7 20 November 2021 Watford 4-1 Manchester United 8 21 April 2019 Everton 4-0 Manchester United 9 4 April 2024
Chelsea 4-3 Manchester United 10 21 October 2017 Huddersfield Town 2-1 Manchester United 11 7 March 2022 Brighton 4-0 Manchester United 12 14 September 2021 Young Boys 2-1 Manchester United 13 23 October 2016 Chelsea 4-0 Manchester United 14 20 December 2017 Bristol City 2-1 Manchester United 15 15 April 2018 Manchester United 0-1 West Brom 16 4 December 2013 Manchester United 0-1 Everton Sir Alex Ferguson chose to be his own successor in the Manchester United dugout and it's fair to say that decision backfired. Moyes looked out of his depth for almost his entire time in charge and a painful reminder of that was when his old club came calling to Old Trafford and earned their first win at the ground in 21 years thanks to a late Bryan Oviedo goal. The reverse fixture in April, which ended in a 2-0 win to the Toffees, was the final nail in the Scotsman's coffin and saw his ten-month reign come to an end. Manchester United 0-1 Everton Date 4 December 2013 Man United manager David Moyes Ground Old Trafford Attendance 75,210 Man United scorers N/A Everton scorers Bryan Oviedo (86') The 2017/18 season is actually one of United's more successful of the last decade as guided the club to second place in the table, which . An indication of what the Portuguese meant came towards the end of the season when bottom-placed earned only their fourth win of the campaign thanks to Jay Rodriguez's strike. Mourinho sourly dubbed his players "masters in complication" just one week after they came from behind to sensationally defeat Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. To twist the knife further, United's loss against West Brom mathematically confirmed City as champions. Manchester United 0-1 West Brom Date 15 April 2018 Man United manager
Jose Mourinho Ground Old Trafford Attendance 75,095 Man United scorers N/A West Brom scorers Jay Rodriguez (73') Manchester United's defence of their crown ended in humiliating
fashion at the quarter-final stage in 2017. A seemingly routine trip to face second-tier was anything but, as Joe Bryan gave the hosts the lead early in the second half. A crisp free-kick soon levelled things and the game looked to be heading to extra-time before Korey Smith sealed a famous win for the Robins in the dying embers, prompting wild scenes of jubilation at Ashton Gate. Even United boss Mourinho couldn't begrudge the Championship side their moment of glory, sincerely hailing it as "a beautiful day for football". Bristol City 2-1 Manchester United Date 20 December 2017 Man United manager Jose Mourinho Ground Ashton Gate Attendance 26,088 Bristol City scorers Joe Bryan (51'), Korey Smith (90+3') Man United scorers Zlatan Ibrahimovic (58') Jose Mourinho's first return to Chelsea as Manchester United boss in October 2016 stung. Almost a year after he was sacked by the Blues during a disastrous campaign, the gulf in quality between his new side and the team inherited by could not have been clearer. romped to a 4-0 victory, taking the lead through Pedro within 30 seconds of the opening whistle. It all got too much for Mourinho who accused his Italian counterpart of trying to humiliate him by over-celebrating his side's goals, . The Stamford Bridge crowd taunted their former boss with a chant of: "You're not special anymore." Chelsea 4-0 Manchester United Date 23 October 2016 Man United manager Jose Mourinho Ground Stamford Bridge Attendance 41,424 Chelsea scorers Pedro (1'), Gary Cahill (21'), Eden Hazard (62'), N'Golo Kante (70') Man United scorers N/A Manchester United crashed out of the group stage in 2020 and were desperate not to repeat such a degrading exit the following campaign. As a result, their fans will have been fearing the worst when they fell to a shocking defeat against Swiss side in their first group game. The Red Devils took a 13th-minute lead through
Cristiano Ronaldo before the match took a dramatic shift when Aaron Wan-Bissaka received a first-half red card. While Young Boys scored twice, sealing a famous victory in the fifth minute of stoppage time, United mustered only two shots all game - the fewest in any
Champions League match since 2003 according to Opta. Young Boys 2-1 Manchester United Date 14 September 2021 Man United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Ground Wankdorf Stadium Attendance 31,120 Young Boys scorers Moumi Ngamaleu (66'), Jordan Siebatcheu (90+5') Man United scorers Cristiano Ronaldo (13') 's role as interim manager of Manchester United was intended to create a period of stability after a poor start to the season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. It didn't turn out that way. The Red Devils ended the campaign in even worse form, culminating in a catastrophic 4-0 loss away at which marked United's fifth consecutive defeat away from home. The humbling reverse on the penultimate day of the season also mathematically confirmed that the club could not qualify for the Champions League. Rangnick was hardly going overboard when he described United as "just not good enough". Brighton 4-0 Manchester United Date 7 May 2022 Man United manager Ralf Rangnick Ground Amex Stadium Attendance 31,637 Brighton scorers Moises Caicedo (15'), Marc Cucurella (49'), Pascal Gross (57'), Leandro Trossard (60') Man United scorers N/A The 2017/18 campaign was one of the more successful for Man United in recent memory. It took the northern giants nine matches to suffer their first
Premier League defeat, but it came in humbling fashion as they slumped to a loss away at newly promoted . The Terriers had scored just one goal across the previous two months but raced into a 2-0 half-time lead against United thanks to strikes from Aaron Mooy and Laurent Depoitre. 's strike in the 78th minute offered little consolation as the Red Devils lost to one of the poorer sides in Premier League history. Huddersfield Town 2-1 Manchester United Date 21 October 2017 Man United manager Jose Mourinho Ground John Smith's Stadium Attendance 24,169 Huddersfield Town scorers Aaron Mooy (28'), Laurent Depoitre (33') Man United scorers Marcus Rashford (78') There were 99 minutes and 17 seconds on the clock as Manchester United led Chelsea 3-2 at Stamford Bridge in April 2024. Somehow the visitors ended up losing. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, United capitulated at the conclusion of a violently wild contest, handing Cole Palmer two goals in the space of 82 painful seconds. Ten Hag's side had performed a miraculous comeback of their own in the first half, overturning a two-goal deficit with strikes from Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes. Garnacho nodded United into the lead with a quarter of the game remaining, but that left Chelsea and Palmer with plenty of time to have the last laugh. After converting his second penalty of the evening in the 100th minute, Palmer was criminally unmarked at a corner to blast Chelsea back in front. Chelsea 4-3 Manchester United Date 4 April 2024 Man United manager Erik ten Hag Ground Stamford Bridge Attendance 39,694 Chelsea scorers Conor Gallagher (4'), Cole Palmer (19' pen, 90'+10 pen, 90'+11) Man United scorers Alejandro Garnacho (34', 67'), Bruno Fernandes (39') The reign got off to an extremely positive start but as soon as the Norwegian was given the gig permanently, things began to deteriorate. United failed to win any of their last five matches of the 2018/19 season, suffering the most humbling defeat of this bleak sequence at Goodison Park. Everton knocked four past the Red Devils without reply in intense Easter Sunday sunshine. It reached the point where United's supporters were ironically cheering their players stringing several passes together - a telltale sign that the honeymoon period was a thing of the past. Solskjaer felt compelled to apologise to the travelling fans. "They're the only people with the badge on today who can hold their head high," he sighed. Everton 4-0 Manchester United Date 21 April 2019 Man United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Ground Goodison Park Attendance 39,395 Everton scorers Richarlison (13'), Gylfi Sigurdsson (28'), Lucas Digne (56'), Theo Walcott (64') Man United scorers N/A Despite overseeing numerous embarrassing defeats, Solskjaer managed to complete two full seasons in the United dugout before things finally came to a head in the first half of the 2021/22 campaign. A humiliating 4-1 reverse away to a side destined for relegation spelt the end of the Norwegian's reign. He was sacked the following day. Goalkeeper David de Gea grimly described the match as "nightmare after nightmare after nightmare". It also served as a fitting depiction of United's darkest moments since Ferguson's retirement. The Spanish shot-stopper saved a first-half penalty from Ismaila Sarr but could only stem so much of the tide as United wilted at Vicarage Road. Watford 4-1 Manchester United Date 20 November 2021 Man United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Ground Vicarage Road Attendance 21,087 Watford scorers Joshua King (28'), Ismaila Sarr (44'), Joao Pedro (90+2'), Emmanuel Dennis (90+6') Man United scorers Donny van de Beek (50') is the latest managerial saviour to arrive at Old Trafford and there was plenty of optimism at the beginning of his tenure. Supporters were quickly brought down to earth after watching their side get outclassed at home by Brighton on the opening day of the season before things got a lot worse in their second match, away at . The Bees relentlessly carved through Ten Hag's disorganised outfit and found themselves 4-0 up after just 35 minutes. The Dutchman must have breathed a sigh of relief that they seemed to mercifully take their foot off the gas after that. Brentford 4-0 Manchester United Date 13 August 2022 Man United manager Erik ten Hag Ground Gtech Community Stadium Attendance 17,051 Brentford scorers Josh Dasilva (10'), Mathias Jensen (18'), Ben Mee (30'), Bryan Mbeumo (35') Man United scorers N/A The first Manchester derby after Ferguson retired was the match that arguably marked the moment the balance of power in the city officially swung the way of United's deadliest rivals. Manchester City had earned several impressive derby victories since Sheikh Mansour's riches came in, but this particular demolition helped them on the way to their second Premier League title. City's ecstatic crowd serenaded United manager David Moyes, sarcastically praising Ferguson for his choice of successor. United slumped to their lowest-ever league position of seventh under Moyes during that season of contrasts. The Red Devils have finished below their noisy neighbours in every single campaign since. Manchester City 4-1 Manchester United Date 22 September 2013 Man United manager David Moyes Ground Etihad Stadium Attendance 47,156 Man City scorers Sergio Aguero (16', 47'), Yaya Toure (45+1'), Samir Nasri (50') Man United scorers Wayne Rooney (87') The Dutch coach had failed to win either of his first two matches in charge of Manchester United by the time his side travelled to face third-tier in the second round of the League Cup in 2014. If the Dutchman thought this match would be a good opportunity to get his first victory on the board, he was sorely mistaken. The Dons tormented a young, inexperienced United side and earned a 4-0 win to mark the most famous night in their relatively short history. MK Dons had spent less than £500,000 constructing the team that conquered United on the same day Angel Di Maria's arrival at Old Trafford was announced. The Argentine earned £560,000 every fortnight. MK Dons 4-0 Manchester United Date 26 August 2014 Man United manager Louis van Gaal Ground Stadium MK Attendance 26,969 MK Dons scorers Will Grigg (25', 63'), Benik Afobe (70', 84') Man United scorers N/A Any fans reading this list for a chance to engage in some schadenfreude must have been wondering when their name would come up. The Merseyside Reds tore their rivals apart in October 2021, marking Man United's heaviest-ever defeat at home in the fixture and the first time they had conceded five at home without reply in a competitive match since 1955.
Mohamed Salah scored the final three goals of the 5-0 rout, becoming the first Liverpool player to bag a hat-trick at Old Trafford since Fred Howe's treble in 1936. No player in the long history of this famous fixture has ever . Manchester United 0-5 Liverpool Date 24 October 2021 Man United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Ground Old Trafford Attendance 73,088 Man United scorers N/A Liverpool scorers Naby Keita (5'), Diogo Jota (13'), Mohamed Salah (38', 45+5', 50') This is the only entry in this list that took place during lockdown, which at least spared any United fans from watching their team crumble live in the flesh. On a bizarre Sunday, in which Liverpool were also thumped 7-2 at Aston Villa, the Red Devils shipped six at home to a side managed by Jose Mourinho, who certainly enjoyed his return to Old Trafford. At the time, since Sir Alex brought an end to his managerial career. Bruno Fernandes gave the hosts a second-minute lead, but Spurs equalised within 200 seconds and had elbowed themselves in front by the seventh minute. Manchester United 1-6 Tottenham Hotspur Date 4 October 2020 Man United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Ground Old Trafford Attendance 0* Man United scorers Bruno Fernandes (2' pen) Tottenham scorers Tanguy Ndombele (4'), Heung-min Son (7', 37'), Harry Kane (30', 79' pen), Serge Aurier (51') Less than 10 years before this fixture, when Manchester United were easing to their 13th Premier League title under Sir Alex Ferguson, no one could have foreseen just how much they would one day capitulate at Anfield. The two great rivals contested an even first half, with Liverpool going in at the break 1-0 up, but early in the second half, it was clear the United players did not have the stomach for the ruthless Anfield atmosphere and the Reds were merciless in exploiting that fact. , and all helped themselves to braces. Roberto Firmino also got to score in his final clash with the Red Devils, who suffered their worst-ever defeat in the 128-year-old fixture. Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United Date 5 March 2023 Man United manager Erik ten Hag Ground Anfield Attendance 53,001 Liverpool scorers Cody Gakpo (43', 50'), Darwin Nunez (47', 75'), Mohamed Salah (66', 83'), Roberto Firmino (88') Man United scorers N/A