Cristiano Ronaldo and Man United manage ONE shot on target in dismal Man City defeat – & $270MN defense is almost worst in league

Fans and pundits have savaged struggling Manchester United after Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to perform another rescue act in a dire 2-0 defeat at home to arch-rivals Manchester City – following up their 5-0 mauling by Liverpool.

Less than two weeks after one of the worst days in the history of the club, United fared little better as the reigning champions strolled to victory against their cross-city enemies.

Eric Bailly needed only seven minutes to score the hapless own-goal that put United behind, although that was two minutes longer than they had remained level when Liverpool visited Old Trafford.

A dominant first-half showing by City culminated in Bernardo Silva scoring their second just before the break, leaving a crowd including heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury to boo United off at the break.

City also bossed the second period on a miserable afternoon for beleaguered United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, restricting United to one touch inside the opposition penalty area during the second 45 minutes.

England prodigy Phil Foden, who later said City's players had "the game of our lives", almost made matters worse for the hosts when he was given plenty of space to send in a low shot that hit a post nine minutes from time.

"This is United’s last chance to get someone new in and give them time to try and sort this out without an immediate fixture," warned one viewer.

"It would be absurd not to change manager now. This is as far as it gets with Solskjaer. Has to be."

"It will be a 2-0 scoreline but 5-0 in the minds of those Manchester United fans, in terms of how they're feeling," added Red Devils legend Gary Neville, who was on co-commentary duties for Sky Sports and called City's performance "flawless".

"There was massive anger at the end of the Liverpool game – but with the way United have played today, it's been more like an anaesthetic."

Others argued that United's 3-0 win at Tottenham the previous weekend, which led to the sacking of Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo, had only been a stay of execution for Solskjaer.

Some pointed out that United have one of the most expensively-assembled squads in the world.

The club has spent around $270 million on their current defenders, being rewarded with a 14-game wait for a clean sheet.

That is their longest run of conceding in consecutive matches for more than 61 years.

Marquee summer signing Ronaldo salvaged another dreadful defensive display by scoring a spectacular added-time goal to earn a 2-2 draw at Atalanta in the Champions League in midweek.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was virtually anonymous against City and booked late on, finding himself starved of possession in common with his teammates while the away fans offered a loud chorus of "you're f*cking sh*t" in the closing stages of their victory.

All four teams to have conceded more goals than United so far this season are in the bottom six of the table, including near-certainties for relegation Norwich and second-bottom Newcastle.

United, who lost for a fourth time in six Premier League matches, will be 11 points behind leaders Chelsea if the Blues win at home to Burnley – who are third-bottom but have still conceded one fewer goal than the Red Devils' total of 17 – later on Saturday.