Marcus Rashford placed his hands on his head in disbelief and looked to the touchline. Erik ten Hag stoically looked onward and did not move. David de Gea's face was buried in the turf and he wanted the London Stadium's pitch to swallow him.
His mistake was unexplainable and it cost Manchester United the game against West Ham. The players could not respond and their goalkeeper looked completely devoid of confidence or ability, just like against Sevilla where he was also at fault.
The players did not comfort De Gea after his blunder, which saw a shot so tame it was more like a pass trickle over his hands. It should have been a routine save and Said Benrahma did not expect the effort to find the net, nor did the West Ham fans.
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Although the Sevilla debacle felt like the possible end of De Gea, his performance against West Ham certainly should be. His kicking was wayward, he was fortunate to win a free-kick when Michail Antonio scored and it highlighted his decline again.
De Gea's contract expires at the end of the season and he's on course to sign an extension, but any new deal would be a colossal mistake. The club must cut him loose or concede going into the future with a goalkeeper who is stuck in the past.
The 32-year-old's kicking is so poor that he was ostracised from Spain's national team long ago. He lacks authority, he cannot play it out from the back, he invites the opposition to press and he's markedly fallen behind his peers in key departments.
He's made four errors leading to a goal this season and that's the joint-most with Hugo Lloris in the Premier League. Lloris is another goalkeeper who has succumbed to decline, but at least it seems Tottenham will get rid of him this summer.
Newcastle's Jacob Murphy said De Gea standing with the ball was identified as a pressing trigger in United's defeat at St. James' Park and Jermain Defoe said even he could have prevented the West Ham blunder on Match of the Day on Sunday night.
The industry is laughing at De Gea. It's remarkable that he leads in the Golden Glove race in the Premier League considering he's flawed and that shows just how well Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez and co have performed.
For all the wrong reasons, it would also be remarkable if his contract is renewed. It's understood there are growing doubts at the club about his role as the No.1 goalkeeper, but Ten Hag publicly backed De Gea after the West Ham defeat.
There are five games remaining this season, including a FA Cup final. It's hoped that Ten Hag was defending his goalkeeper to protect his confidence before re-evaluating his future, but it's possible he was sincere in his press conference.
Ten Hag said he wanted De Gea to stay and he wanted him to extend his contract. He might have been bluffing, but if he wasn't, he is gambling on his own future at the club by sticking with a goalkeeper who is bound to limit the progress he can make.
De Gea will hold back the rebuild and it would be damaging to persist with him next season. He does not align with the philosophy and vision of Ten Hag and it would be contradictory for a supposedly ruthless manager to give him an extension.
Pep Guardiola quickly got rid of Joe Hart and Jurgen Klopp understood he needed a goalkeeper of Allison's quality. Manchester City and Liverpool have been Britain's most successful clubs in the last five years and that's not a coincidence.
Both managers would not think twice about disposing of De Gea and Ten Hag must make the right decision, or risk what he's looking to achieve at Old Trafford. He recently dined with Sir Alex Ferguson and he would have made the right call.
Although De Gea has been an outstanding servant at the club, all good things must end. He became United's all-time goalkeeper appearance holder against West Ham and it was ironic that he made such a howler in doing so.
There was a theory that United could play another season with De Gea as their No.1 in order to focus on strengthening other positions in the summer transfer market, but his costly performances have made signing a goalkeeper a priority.
There is also a possibility that Dean Henderson's last chapter at the club might not yet be written. Henderson irked supporters with his comments when he departed on loan this season, but he'll return in pre-season and stranger things have happened.
Henderson would be the pragmatic option, as the club would not need to splash out on a new goalie if they gave him a chance.
Regardless of who succeeds De Gea, his time is up and Ten Hag is playing with fire if he signs a contract extension.
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