Manchester United's calamitous week hit rock bottom as Bournemouth famously consigned them to a 2-1 defeat on Saturday and, to rub salt into the wounds, neighbours Manchester City moved back to the top of the Premier League.
After City clambered above Leicester City on goal difference with a lucky last-gasp strike in a dramatic 2-1 win over Swansea City, Bournemouth wrote another astonishing fairytale by beating United a week after taking the scalp of champions Chelsea.
United's defeat multiplies the pressure on manager Louis van Gaal, already under fire for their prosaic playing style and midweek exit from the Champions League.
Yet the Dutchman, happy with his team's efforts, said he was not worried about the growing discontent with his reign. "It's always like that. It's not new," he told Sky Sports.
United's setback leaves them fourth in the table, three points behind a City side who are level on 32 with Leicester before the latter host Chelsea on Monday. Third-placed Arsenal, who have 30 points, visit bottom side Aston Villa on Sunday.
After United's loss at Vfl Wolfsburg in the Champions League on Tuesday, goals from Junior Stanislas and former United player Josh King consigned them to another wounding defeat.
Stanislas scored direct from a wind-assisted corner that bamboozled keeper David de Gea in the second minute and although Marouane Fellaini levelled in the 24th, King struck with a low shot from a well-worked 54th minute corner to earn the points.
UNBRIDLED JOY
It meant more unbridled joy for Bournemouth, the Premier League newcomers who have an annual turnover 40 times smaller than United's.
Last Saturday they had won 1-0 at Chelsea, a result that manager Eddie Howe felt was the greatest in the club's history.
With Bournemouth now in 14th place -- one point and one place ahead of Chelsea -- Howe was reduced to laughter on Sky Sports when asked how this win compared to last week's, saying: "That's a difficult one to answer!"
King, the Norwegian who once played for United, was ecstatic about his winner, shooting home after finding space from a well-directed, low corner.
"That meant a lot to me. I spent five years there (at Old Trafford)," King said. "I'd practised it (the corner routine) a bit and missed it every time. Today, it worked."
Manchester City snatched victory amid late drama at the Etihad Stadium, a Yaya Toure shot deflecting off team mate Kelechi Iheanacho for the stoppage-time winner.
Managerless Swansea, playing above themselves after the midweek sacking of Garry Monk, had equalised deservedly in the last minute through Bafetimbi Gomis after Wilfried Bony's first half headed goal against his old side had put City ahead.
Yet, when it seemed City had blown the chance to go back to the top, a 92nd-minute left-footed strike from Toure struck Iheanacho's back and ballooned into the net.
"Yaya was one of the best players in this game. He was the player who tried to create different things," manager Manuel Pellegrini told reporters.
However, the Chilean was only partially satisfied with the victory. "I think the three points were very important, more than the way we played," he told the BBC. "Swansea played very well and it's not the way we want to win."
BEST START
Crystal Palace continued their best start to a Premier League season with Yohan Cabaye's goal earning a 1-0 home win over Southampton and elevating them to sixth, six points off the lead.
Odion Ighalo's 10th goal of the campaign for Watford consigned Sunderland to another defeat and pushed the 1-0 winners up to seventh, still a point behind Palace.
The home loss, though, leaves Sam Allardyce's north-east club languishing in penultimate place on 12 points.
Romelu Lukaku is another marksman in rampant form, Everton's Belgian striker scoring for a sixth successive league game to give the Merseysiders an early lead in a 1-1 draw at Norwich City. Wes Hoolahan equalised for the struggling Canaries.
West Ham United, who are eighth, and Stoke City, in 11th, missed the chance to close on the leaders as they fought out a dull goalless draw at Upton Park.
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