Chelsea have been shocked by the level of dissent shown to Maurizio Sarri by the club’s fans and will sack him if there is not a significant upturn in the team’s form in their next three games.

Club officials were taken aback by the unprecedented hostility shown by the crowd at Stamford Bridge on Monday night in the FA Cup fifth-round defeat by Manchester United. They fear that the relationship between head coach and supporters is irreparably damaged.

There is also growing discontent among the players, some of whom doubt whether the 60-year-old’s record as a manager merited him getting the Chelsea job. He has not won a major trophy, unlike the majority of his squad.

It seems almost inevitable that Sarri will lose his