European football: The Zeroes from this weekend's action

Manchester United’s defence

Phil Jones and Jonny Evans were run ragged by Stoke

The United back-four on Saturday were like gracious hosts at a wedding party inviting their guests for unlimited rounds of food and then some more later.

United were repeatedly found wanting, just like in previous games against West Brom and Southampton and the change in central defensive pairing did nothing to try and stem the rot. Stoke managed to find their way through almost at will and looked a threat during every foray that they undertook.

In the case of aerial balls, of course, it was a no contest as Peter Crouch’s use as a lightning rod paid dividends for Stoke. Not only were they bad with their defending, they were poor with their distribution as well as demonstrated by the high number of stray passes that they played while attempting to play out from the back.

It comes as a surprise that Moyes, who was known for his tactical organization and solidity at Everton, is now seemingly struggling with a leaky defence at United.

Things need to improve fast or United are going nowhere and seem set for a long stay in mid-table.