Watford 3 United 1

Jose Mourinho was still finding his feet as a manager in Portugal the last time he saw his side lose three games in a row.   Sadly, United fans don't have to look that far back to recall a similar series of inept performances, which is why this defeat at Watford had a worryingly familiar look abou tit.

United made the kind of sluggish start that has sadly become typical of late and might well have gone behind after just 13 minutes, a mix-up between De Gea and Smalling allowing the ball to drop to Ighalo, whose wayward shot allowed the Reds a reprieve.  

It only proved temporary, however.  Martial and Janmaat both had treatment after a nasty clash of heads and ten minutes later the United man was dispossessed on the United left and, when the ball found its way to the in-form Capoue at the edge of the area, the lively Frenchman steered home to give Watford the lead.

It looked debatable whether Martial had been fouled but the fact that he was then immediately taken off clutching his head, suggests he was still suffering the after-effects of his early collision, something that will raise questions as to why he was allowed to play on.

Aside from a superb effort from Pogba that rattled the crossbar,  there was little to lift United fans in first period in which, whatever the legality of Watford's goal, they were clearly second-best.  

When Mata was introduced for Valencia on the hour, it appeared, for a while, to change the direction of the game.   Soon after United were level, Rashford's one-two in the area with Ibrahimovic finishing with the youngster prodding the ball over the line.

So often Rashford's goals have proved crucial for the Reds and for a while that looked likely to be the case here also.  United might well have added to their lead when Gomez did brilliantly to deny an Ibrahimovic header.  Had they done so, it might all have ended differently

Even so, at the time United looked the more likely side to grab the three points.  Then, the wheels fell off.  Seven minutes from time a rare Watford attack saw substitute Zuniga drift unattended into the area and finish convincingly to restore the home side's lead.

If we expected a grandstand finish from United, we were to be disappointed.  It says much about the problems within the playing staff that United simply fell apart completely and it was no surprise when Watford added to their lead in stoppage time.  Bailly, who looked far less convincing without Blind alongside him at the back, failed to get to grips with Zuniga's run and Fellaini clumsily brought him down.

It remained only for Deeney to crash his penalty into the net to send Watford fans home deliriously happy and United fans to dwell on a third successive performance that, aside from twenty minutes in the second half, was no better than what Moyes or Van Gaal might have served up.   The swagger on display in those first three games appears to have vanished, the Mourinho honeymoon is over and he has some serious work to do, and fast.