Manchester United's season of optimism came to a shuddering halt on Sunday, with Newcastle United's 2-0 victory producing a string of angry confrontations.
The Red Devils were beaten by Eddie Howe's side at St James' Park on Sunday afternoon thanks to goals from Joe Willock and Callum Wilson. That result, as well as Tottenham's draw against Everton on Monday night, leaves Man Utd fifth in the Premier League.
Erik ten Hag will still expect his players to finish in the top four, but the weekend's results leaves them in danger of missing out on Champions League football for the second successive season. As such, it's perhaps understandable why Tyneside played host to the most public venting of frustration under the Dutchman's stewardship.
The first flashpoint occurred in the second half when Lisandro Martinez reacted angrily to being withdrawn from the action. Martinez is rarely substituted, but Ten Hag hooked the World Cup winner and Raphael Varane in the 83rd minute to make a tactical change. Man Utd were one goal down at the time and the switch backfired, with Wilson finding the net five minutes later.
As Martinez made his way into the dugout, he smashed one of the seats with his right hand. A member of Ten Hag's backroom staff was sitting in the seat, but he was leaning forward. Martinez then glared around the dugout, as his colleagues tried to avoid his stare.
Martinez is renowned for being a ferocious character. Standing at five feet and nine inches, the centre-back was nicknamed the "Butcher of Amsterdam" by Ajax fans before leaving them for Man Utd last summer. That aggression is one of his main strengths.
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Once Man Utd's disappointing result on Sunday afternoon was confirmed, Antony and Diogo Dalot were spotted rowing on the pitch. Stand-in captain Bruno Fernandes was also furious with his team-mates, as he ordered them to applaud the travelling supporters at St James' Park. It is unclear exactly what Antony and Dalot were arguing about.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Ten Hag explained why he subbed Martinez and Varane for Victor Lindelof and Facundo Pellistri. He said, "You try to save the game to bring a goal and go one against one in the back, bring a centre back in who can defend with space in his back and bring an extra player in offence with Pellistri.
"We were not happy. We played too high in the midfield and it was easy for the two centre-halves from Newcastle to defend our midfield players, so they had to play a bit deeper.
"Therefore we made the subs, to put Marcel [Sabitzer] as no.10 and Scott [McTominay] in a deeper role. Then we made changes to bring more energy. Then in the end we were losing so we decided to go with three at the back and play an extra offensive player.
"I was surprised we couldn’t match the determination, passion and desire of the opponent. If you want to win big games, you have to be mature and I didn’t see that today on the pitch."
Gary Neville criticised Ten Hag's decision to substitute Martinez and Varane, as he believes it left Man Utd vulnerable at the back. He told Sky Sports, "Once those changes were made this was the most predictable outcome you could believe."
Luke Shaw also ripped into his team-mates in a brutally honest post-match interview, to show that frustrations continued to simmer well after the final whistle. "Not good enough. I feel like every time I speak after games, bad results, I’m always honest," the England star said.
"Us as a team, we have to be honest, I do feel Newcastle are a very good side but I don’t think they won the game on quality today, they won it on passion and hunger, desire, attitude and they clearly had that higher motivation than we had. That can’t be possible.
"I feel like we say the same things every time we lose, like I say it’s not acceptable and we know that. It was a massive game today and they wanted it more. At Man Utd that cannot be possible."
United don't have too long to get back in their groove either, they face Brentford on Wednesday night in a game which could go a long way to determining their Champions League fate.
