Stoke City condemned Manchester United to a fourth straight defeat to increase the pressure on manager Louis van Gaal.
Bojan Krkic broke the deadlock after a poor header back to David de Gea from Memphis Depay allowed Glen Johnson to play it back to the Spanish forward.
Stoke went 2-0 ahead through Marko Arnautovic’s 25-yard finish after Bojan’s free-kick had hit the wall.
Van Gaal dropped captain Wayne Rooney, who came on as a half-time substitute, and United struggled to create chances.
Stoke, who climbed three places to eighth in the Premier League, were superior throughout and could have won by more.
Arnautovic missed a great chance to add to United’s misery when clean through, while Potters keeper Jack Butland denied Marouane Fellaini, Anthony Martial and Juan Mata.
Rooney decision backfires badly on Van Gaal
Van Gaal was already under pressure before kick-off after a poor run of form but the manner of United’s defeat at the Britannia Stadium – together with the manager’s decision to leave out England skipper Rooney – is bound to raise more questions about the Dutchman’s future.
United rarely looked like getting back into the game after falling behind and showed little desire and leadership as they found themselves outmuscled and outfought by an impressive Stoke side.
They were already 2-0 behind after an awful first-half display when Rooney, starting on the bench in a league match for the first time since 28 January 2014, was introduced at the start of the second period.
They improved after the break, but Stoke, managed by former United forward Mark Hughes, deserved their victory.
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Source: BBC