Man Utd's new low: Welbeck's stunner kills Fletcher's coaching career even before it started

All those changes at Old Trafford in the last couple of years have one, undisputed direction - straight to the bottom.

Ruben Amorim is gone, and United's former player, Darren Fletcher, has taken charge of the team as a caretaker. However, instead of a revival, the Red Devils are heading for a fall.

After a Premier League draw against Burnley a few days ago, they've said a painful goodbye to the FA Cup on Sunday night, as Brighton and Hove Albion knocked them out of England's oldest competition for the first time in history (2-1).

Moreover, this is only the third time in United's history that they've been eliminated from the FA Cup at this stage (third round), which goes to show how miserable the situation actually is at the Theatre of Dreams.

To make it worse, the death sentence was delivered by none other than Manchester United's once-prodigy Danny Welbeck, who nailed it below the crossbar to make it 2-0 following Brajan Gruda's early opener.

It could have been quite different, though, if only Diogo Dallot had shown more composure in the second minute of the game, but that early sitter set the stage for a plot we've seen so many times this season so far - hapless United dominating the ball possession, yet being unable to convert it into something palpable and worth.

They did peg one back, though, through Benjamin Sesko, with his second-half header, but that was all Darren Fletcher's side could do on a Sunday night, thus saying a definite farewell to the last possible trophy this season.

Mind you, it's January 11.

Halfway through the season, once the giants are standing on the verge of the abyss, as misery keeps mounting around the club. The faces of Sir Alex Ferguson and the stars of his mighty Manchester United, like Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt - who were watching the game from the stands - showed all the misery and helplessness surrounding what used to be England's and Europe's greatest club.

FA CUP - ROUND 3

Friday

Milton Keynes Dons - Oxford 3-4 on pen (1-1)

/Collins 34 - Lankshear 52/

Port Vale - Fleetwood 1-0 (1-0)

/Shipley 45+2/

Preston - Wigan 0-1 (0-0)

/Bettoni 75/

Wrexham - Nottingham Forest 4-3 on pen (3-3)

/Cacace 37, Rathbone 40, Hyam 74 - Jesus 64, Hudson-Odoi 76, 89/

Saturday

Cheltenham - Leicester 0-2 (0-2)

/Daka 23, Mavididi 45/

Everton - Sunderland 0-3 on pen (1-1)

/Garner 89 pen - La Fee 90/

Macclesfield - Crystal Palace 2-1 (1-0)

/Dawson 43, Buckley 61 - Pino 90/

Wolverhampton - Shrewsbury 6-1 (3-1)

/Larsen 9, 41, 58, Arias 11, Gomes 86, Arokodare 90+2 - Marquis 26 pen/

Manchester City - Exeter City 10-1 (4-0)

/Alleyne 12, Rodri 24, Hayes 42 og, Fitzwater 45+2 og, Lewis 49, 90+1, Semenyo 54, Reijnders 71, O'Reilly 79, McAidoo 86 - Birch 90/

Boreham Wood - Burton 0-5 (0-2)

/Lofthouse 35, O'Connell 41 og, Tavares 67, Williams 83, McKiernan 90+2/

Burnley - Millwall 5-1 (3-0)

/Barnes 11, 65, Tchaouna 35, Anthony 44, Banel 89 - Coburn 90+4/

Doncaster - Southampton 2-3 (0-3)

/Pearson 48, Gibson 59 - Bragg 8, Archer 24, Matsuki 41/

Fulham - Middlesbrough 3-1 (0-1)

/Wilson 60, Smith Rowe 77, Kevin 90+3 - Hackney 30/

Ipswich - Blackpool 2-1 (1-0)

/Philogene-Bidace 35, Greaves 87 - Fletcher 90+6/

Newcastle - Bournemouth 7-6 on pen (3-3)

/Barnes 50, 118, Gordon 90+5 pen - Scott 62, Brooks 68, Tavernier 120+2/

Salford City - Swindon POSTPONED

Sheffield Wednesday - Brentford 0-2 (0-1)

/Lewis-Potter 27, Jensen 64 pen/

Stoke - Coventry 1-0 (0-0)

/Cisse 88/

Bristol City - Watford 5-1 (2-0)

/Jacobsen 2,68,76, Mehmeti 37, Atkinson 66 - Grieves 74/

Cambridge - Birmingham 2-3 (0-2)

/Kaikai 80,89 - Wagner 31, Furuhashi 42, Ducksch 78/

Grimsby - Weston 3-2 (1-0)

/Vernam 41, Kabia 70, Green 86 - Coulson 49, Britton 77/

Tottenham - Aston Villa 1-2 (0-2)

/Odobert 54 - Buendia 22, Rogers 45+3/

Charlton - Chelsea 1-5 (0-1)

/Leaburn 57 - Hato 45+1, Adarabioyo 50, Guiu 62, Neto 90+1, Enzo 90+4 pen/

Sunday

Derby - Leeds 1-3 (1-0)

/Brereton Diaz 35 - Gnonto 55, Tanaka 59, Justin 90+3/

Portsmouth - Arsenal 1-4 (1-2)

/Bishop 3 - Dozzell 8 og, Martinelli 25,51, 72/

Hull - Blackburn 4-3 on pen (0-0)

Norwich - Walsall 5-1 (2-0)

/Jurasek 15, Makama 24, 48,55, Springett 90+2 - Clarke 67/

Sheffield Utd - Mansfield 3-4 (1-2)

/Hamer 20, Bamford 61, Moriah-Welsh 65 og - Reed 13,44, Akins 50, Oates 57/

Swansea - WBA 5-6 on pen (0-0)

/Eom 48, Inoussa 112 - Maja 53, Wallace 108/

West Ham - QPR 2-1 a.e.t (1-0)

/Summerville 45+10, Castellanos 98 - Kone 65/

Manchester United - Brighton 1-2 (0-1)

/Sesko 85 - Gruda 12, Welbeck 64/

Monday

22.45: (1.13) Liverpool (9.00) Barnsley (17.0)

***odds are subject to change***