Reports earlier in the week had suggested that Louis Van Gaal was feeling the pressure in the Manchester United hotseat, and had been given just a few games to save his job.
If those reports were true, then he has started that vital run of games in a very bad way with a 2-0 loss at the Britannia stadium.
More worrying than the result for both fans and manager alike (perhaps even the board) will be the nature of the performance that Manchester United gave against Stoke City, as they lost their first fixture on Stephen's Day in ten years.
Stoke came out of the blocks for the match much stronger than their opponents, and forced their visitors back into their own half on a blustery, cold day that made it difficult to play a possession-based game.
Van Gaal had taken the decision to drop Wayne Rooney for this must-win game against Stoke, opting instead to bring in some players with a creative spark in Ander Herrera and Juan Mata, but their impact was extremely limited. Along with Anthony Martial and Memphis Depay, few of the Manchester United players looked able to deal with the physical nature of the game, going to ground far too easily and being brushed off the ball by a Stoke side that looked much more ready for the challenge on the day.
That was evident in the first goal that they conceded as Depay made a massive error in attempting to to head the ball back to David De Gea in the United goal, only for it to be held up in the wind, allowing Glen Johnson to latch on to it. His cut back found a waiting Bojan Krkic in the middle of the box, who slotted home with ease.
The second goal came shortly afterwards in the 24th minute as Marko Arnautovic hammered home a brilliant shot from a set piece that left De Gea with no chance, and becoming the first Austrian to score a goal on St. Stephen's Day in the Premier League in the process.
Image: Nigel French / EMPICS Sport
There was little doubt at that stage who the better side were, and at the half-time break Van Gaal decided that he had seen enough of Depay and brought on Wayne Rooney.
His primary contribution was to give out to the referee at every possible juncture, as a slightly improved Manchester United side desperately tried to get anything out of game that they hadn't been in up to that point. Stoke, for their part, sat back expecting a real onslaught, but besides Ashley Young whipping in a few crosses from the wing and having the measure of Erik Pieters, there was little for them to worry about.
One Rooney pull back did find Marouane Fellaini in the middle in the second half, but a great save from Jack Butland, whose form will surely have been noticed by England boss Roy Hodgson, denied him a goal. He also saved well from Mata, but Manchester United never really looked like they were in a place to create enough problems for a well-drilled Stoke side.
the lacklustre performance from Manchester United was noticeable, as, commentating on the match on Off The Ball, Stuart Byrne stated that "I think we're looking at a team that has stopped believing in the manager's style of play".
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Luis Van Gaal acknowledged that the team simply hadn't played well enough: "My thoughts are that we are didn't dare to play football in the first half, and then we gave a very bad goal away[...] at half time we have spoken with each other and I have to say the second half was much better, but still we have created one or two chances and then you have to score".
Asked whether or not he still felt he was the man who could get them our of their current slump, the Dutchman acknowledged that the pressure would keep growing on him with every passing game: "It's more difficult because I'm also part of the four matches that we have lost, so people are looking at me so I have to deal with that. But much more important is that the players have to deal with that because they have to perform [...] we have lost our fourth game, you have to wait and see".
With reports swirling that his job was in danger before this loss, the way that the team seemed to lack any real effort in the game will perhaps be key to what happens in the coming days, and whether the board chooses to take action sooner rather than later.
Having already invested heavily in the squad, and with Jose Mourinho waiting in the wings adding pressure to an already tense situation, there are likely to be a few sleepless nights ahead of Van Gaal this weekend.
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