Man United's chaotic embarrassment is getting worse, writes OLIVER HOLT

A stark truth began to present itself as Manchester United fell to yet another abject defeat on Sunday evening in the Manchester derby: the chaotic embarrassment that has engulfed them is not getting better any time soon. If anything, it is getting worse.

United were overrun by a Manchester City side that is still well short of its majestic best at the Etihad. There were several classes out of their league. For those who have trusted that Ruben Amorim will provide the answers, increasingly it looks as if he has none to give.

City’s 3-0 dismantling of their local rivals suggested that they may indeed mount something of a recovery this season even if they are unlikely to contest a Premier League title that looks already as if it is a fight between Arsenal and Liverpool.

But, for United, the conclusions were utterly damning. Some may have been wondering if they were running out of ways to examine their dysfunction but, helpfully, Amorim and the United hierarchy provided us with another one in the last transfer window and presented it for dissection at The Etihad.

They splashed somewhere close to £20m on goalkeeper Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp and then proceeded to put him on the bench against City. United now appear to have three number two goalkeepers and no number ones.

Contrast that with City. When the time came to replace Ederson, they bought the best goalkeeper in the world, Gianluigi Donnarumma, from PSG and Pep Guardiola stuck him straight in the first team for the derby.

United’s current starter, Altay Bayindir, is clearly not good enough and played his part in some peer-through-the-fingers episodes of defending that would not have been out of place in a Charlie Chaplin movie. He and United’s defenders played like the Calamity Kids.

Donnarumma? Well, he did what world class goalkeepers do and pulled off the save that may have turned the game. When City were only two ahead, he produced a magnificent stop to deny Bryan Mbeumo and give City the foundation to continue with their demolition of United.

Sure, City played well, particularly Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden and Erling Haaland, who scored twice and should have had at least two more. He has scored 11 times for City and Norway now this season.

‘You’re getting sacked in the morning,’ City’s fans sang at Amorim as he stood forlornly on the touchline and even if that is highly unlikely, it is hard to deny that the manager is in an increasingly parlous position.

The morning is too soon but it would take a brave man to bet on him making it to the end of the year. It would take a brave man, in fact, to bet on him making it to the end of next month.

He needed a good start this season and he has had an awful start. There is no sense of progress at United, no sense of cohesion, no sense of conviction, no sense of belief. There is no sense, in fact, in much that anyone at the club seems to do.

We are only half way through September and this is already looking like another wasted season, another stop in purgatory, another dance with mediocrity, another couple of hundred million pounds poured down the drain.

City had nearly scored after 18 seconds. The deafening applause accompanying a heartfelt tribute to Ricky Hatton had barely subsided when Jeremy Doku slipped a pass through for Haaland and Haaland lashed it across Bayindir but just wide of the far post.

It was a frantic start. Donnarumma made his first save in a City jersey a few minutes later, scrambling to his right to parry, and then gather, a smart, curling shot from Benjamin Sesko, who was making his first start for United.

Bayindir nearly allowed Haaland another chance when the goalkeeper tried to control a backpass and it bounced off his shin. Haaland’s eyes lit up but Bayindir recovered just in time to lack the ball clear.

City, who had lost their last two Premier League games in succession, were the better team in the opening exchanges but some of their previous uncertainties were betrayed in an exchange of passes.

Bernardo Silva curled a lovely, delicate pass into the path of Phil Foden, Foden cushioned a perfect lay-off for Tijani Reijnders and Reijnders promptly hit his attempted cross into touch.

It was only a brief reprieve for United. A couple of minutes later, Doku burst through the heart of the visiting defence, shimmying his way past Luke Shaw brilliantly. His first attempt at a cross was blocked. His second found Foden in space and Foden guided his header past the dive of Bayindir.

Roy Keane said on television that Shaw had ‘thrown in the towel’, which seemed harsh, given Doku’s skill. But when City went further ahead seven minutes after half time, Shaw’s role was even more questionable.

Foden and Doku contributed to a clever build-up and when Doku slipped a short ball inside to Haaland, Haaland held off Shaw with contemptuous ease and lifted the ball expertly over Bayindir to put City two up. Shaw tripped over Bayindir as the ball rolled into the back of the net and sprawled on the turf.

United’s defenders turned into the Calamity Kids. Panicked by City’s high press, United diced with danger at the back until De Ligt passed the ball out of defence straight to City. The ball was to Haaland, who rounded Bayindir but when he stretched to poke the ball home, he could only direct it against the foot of the post.

It was a fortunate escape but United’s defence nearly contrived to make a mess of that, too. Bayindir came to claim it but Noussair Mazraoui took it away from him and hacked it clear. It was circus stuff.

The contrast with City was striking. When United did finally manage a shot on target midway through the half, Bryan Mbeumo connected with a sweet volley from 10 yards out that seemed destined for the bottom corner.

But then, as United fans behind the goal began to celebrate, Donnarumma flung himself to his right and tipped the ball wide of the right-hand post. It was a world class save. Mbeumo held his head in his hands.

United began to look increasingly ragged. An air of desperation overtook them. Just over 20 minutes from the end, they gave the ball away cheaply, resignedly, in midfield and when Bernardo Silva played the ball forward, Haaland ran in on goal from the half way line.

Harry Maguire gave chase but that was never going to be a fair fight. Maguire never got close. Haaland had time to measure his spot. He looked up and slid the ball past Bayindir and just inside the far post.

City were rampant now. Their fans turned their backs to the pitch and did the Poznan. It was one of many times it was impossible not to think of Hatton on Sunday and how much he would have loved this.

Kobbie Mainoo got a rare taste of action in the second half and promptly asked more questions about Amorim’s selection policy by producing his team’s outstanding moment of the evening with a jinking run.

To end United’s grim experience, Mbeumo and Casemiro missed open goals. This is a team without leaders. This is a team that is rudderless. This is a team with a manager who is starting to look like a lame duck. City are at least looking upwards again.

United have four points from their first four games and are stuck in 14th. They finished 15th last season so it looks as if this is their level under Amorim. They are a team going nowhere fast.