Michael Carrick issued an apology to Manchester United's drenched supporters before coldly bypassing his players following their dismal 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Como. The heavy defeat has left Carrick's position hanging by a thread, with United fans vocally demanding his dismissal.
Of the 700 supporters who had made the trip to Como in torrential rain, the majority had already vacated the open-ended away section before the final whistle had even blown. After exchanging handshakes with Cesc Fabregas, Carrick headed straight toward the approximately 100 fans who had stayed behind.
The embattled manager placed one hand on his chest and raised both arms as a gesture of apology before striding past his players and heading down the tunnel. United have claimed just two victories from their 11 outings across all competitions this season, and Wednesday's display against Como was arguably the lowest point of what has been a deeply disappointing campaign.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Carrick said, via The Mirror: "It was more than disappointing. I think everybody has got to take responsibility for that. I 100 percent take responsibility for the overall team and the performance - that's where it stops.
"It stops with me and I'm absolutely fine with that. I accept that totally. But as a supporter of this football club for so long, to see a performance like that is unacceptable, I have to say.
"I care an unbelievable amount about the supporters. They are the heartbeat of this football club and they always will be. For them to travel, I had to apologize for the performance. To have to watch a performance like that, I totally feel for them. There are no excuses at all. It is not acceptable."
Carrick added on the topic on his future: "It's not about me. It's about digesting the game and how it went. That is the most important thing right now."
United captain Bruno Fernandes, who was subbed off after a poor display, suggested that Carrick and his staff got their tactics wrong. "It's a decision from the staff to not press man to man and sometimes leave space behind and try to get the ball, wait for them, but sometimes when you give space to these teams they get confidence," Fernandes explained.
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"That's on the manager and staff to see, not me. Sometimes you have to be more brave under pressure, take the risk of pressing high and making them uncomfortable. As you saw with them [Como], the center-back was coming to mark me in my own half. We need to do that as a team but we were unable to.
"A team that plays through the middle with small connections, if you give them too much time and space then they can hurt you out wide."
Carrick responded to Fernandes' comments in his press conference, saying: "We actually half-pressed man-to-man the second half and then conceded a goal from that. And there's a little bit on whatever system you play, whatever tactics you play, if you don't run, and you don't run forward, and you don't run back, you ain't going to win."
The 45-year-old went on to say: "We might win, we might lose, but the way we went about it tonight, I wouldn't say everyone, but the way we went about it in some ways tonight wasn't acceptable. And I just wanted to let the fans know that I feel for them, for sure.
"It wasn't just the goals, if I'm totally honest. It was the manner and the way we played at times, in the way we went about it, that was the difficult thing to watch for me.
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"It's not about playing for me, it's about playing for this football club," he said. "It's the responsibility that comes with being in the position; I'm responsible for the football club and the supporters. I'm giving my best, absolute best all the time, I care about it. My whole life's wrapped around it. I genuinely give everything that I possibly can."
When asked if his players were doing the same, Carrick replied: "I'd like to think so. I didn't like what I saw tonight, though."