Manchester United suffered their third successive Premier League defeat by losing 1-0 to West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford.
Chris Brunt's deflected free kick on 63 minutes was enough to give the Baggies back-to-back wins at United for the first time since 1968 and 1969.
Robin van Persie could have salvaged at least a point for the hosts, but the Dutch striker saw his 74th-minute penalty saved by Boaz Myhill.
Here, Sports Mole reviews what was a nightmare night for United at the Theatre of Dreams.
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Match statistics
MANCHESTER UNITED
Shots: 25
On target: 8
Possession: 81%
Corners: 9
Fouls: 9
WEST BROMWICH ALBION
Shots: 7
On target: 4
Possession: 19%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 10
Was the result fair?
There are two schools of thoughts on these type of results. Either it is difficult to begrudge West Brom their victory, achieved through a combination of luck and a herculean defensive display, or it is hard to argue that the hosts, with 81% possession and 25 shots, did not deserve a point at the bare minimum. In the end, though, neither manager could have complained had they shared the spoils.
Manchester United's performance
It was the same old story for United tonight. In their recent defeats at Chelsea and Everton, the Red Devils boasted a wealth of possession but markedly few goalscoring chances, and it did not look like being any different throughout a frustrating first half for them this evening.
Van Persie, making his first start since February, commanded the bulk of the chances. On 17 minutes, the Dutchman brilliantly turned his marker and volleyed at goal. Myhill pushed to Ashley Young, whose moment of hesitation allowed Gareth McAuley the opportunity to recover, before Van Persie fired Young's cutback into the side-netting a few minutes later.
By virtue of West Brom's stubborn resistance, patience was key in their bid to open the scoring, but it would not come before the break as the visitors held out to earn a deserved half-time draw.
Van Gaal opted for a tactical switch at the break as striker Van Persie and number 10 Marouane Fellaini swapped roles for the second half. It had very little impact, however, and the Dutch coach is perhaps guilty for trying to be a little too cute with his tactical tweaks. The need for a goal increased on 63 minutes when Brunt's free kick deflected off the legs of Jonas Olsson and left David de Gea rooted to the spot in West Brom's first and last real attack of the second half.
Van Gaal replaced Daley Blind with Angel Di Maria for the last 25 minutes, but the Argentine continues to struggle, producing a lacklustre cameo that took him further away from justifying the club-record £59.7m spent on him last summer.
Things went from bad to worse on 74 minutes when Van Persie saw his spot kick beaten away by Myhill, after Saido Berahino was adjudged to have handled in the box - though it was a contentious decision from the linesman, with West Brom arguing that it occurred outside the area.
In the end, it just was not good enough from United. A dearth of clear-cut chances is the common denominator in this trilogy of successive defeats and, worryingly, there was very little sign in each game that Van Gaal knows how to get them scoring.
West Bromwich Albion's performance
After Sunderland beat Southampton earlier to drag Tony Pulis's charges four points closer to the relegation zone, West Brom knew coming into this encounter that victory would effectively seal their place in the Premier League next season.
They looked up for a fight from early on and it was obvious that the hosts would have to play well in order to unlock a stubborn defence comprising of Craig Dawson, McAuley, Joleon Lescott and Olsson, with Brunt effectively operating at left-back too.
They frustrated their Manchester counterparts and had a few chances themselves in the first half, with Lescott and Youssouf Mulumbu both powering headers at De Gea, but it was their defence that came under most pressure and yet their resistance never waned en route to earning a deserved half-time draw.
It was one-way traffic for United from that point on but Pulis's defence, organised as ever, repelled wave after wave of attack before winning a free kick on a rare foray forward. It remains to be seen if Brunt or Olsson will be credited with the goal, but neither will care at this moment in time.
Van Persie's missed penalty 10 minutes later gave the visitors extra impetus in their bid to hang on, and it was their collective determination which took them over the finish line. One moment epitomised the mentality that Pulis had drilled into them prior to kickoff when Di Maria skipped past the flat-footed Dawson before galloping down the flank, but the right-back recovered brilliantly with a 40-yard burst to block the Argentine's cross.
Chris Baird and Andre Wisdom were introduced to help shore up a defence that won Albion all three points. Seven points clear with another nine on offer, West Brom can justifiably dream about next season under Pulis.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Gareth McAuley: Any one of the Baggies' defenders could have grabbed man of the match, but the Northern Irishman just edged out his defensive teammates with a performance that could go a long way to earning a contract extension, with the 35-year-old's existing deal scheduled to expire at the end of the season.
Biggest gaffe
Usually so reliable from the penalty spot, Van Persie was guilty of the game's biggest gaffe when he fluffed his lines from 12 yards. It was not the greatest of penalties and it remains to be seen why Wayne Rooney shed the spot-kick duties this evening.
Referee performance
Neither manager can complain too much about Anthony Taylor's performance. He booked one player - Paddy McNair, for the free kick that led to the goal - and it was his assistant who recommended the contentious penalty offence that the visiting players argued had occurred outside of the box.
What next?
Manchester United: United travel to the capital on Saturday evening for a trip to Crystal Palace.
West Bromwich Albion: Albion are also back in action next Saturday as they visit Newcastle United.
Shane Callaghan
