Manchester United suffered a crushing 2-1 defeat at Brighton on Saturday following what was a hard-fought encounter.
With an unchanged starting lineup from the opening game, manager Erik ten Hag appeared to have retained confidence in the team that secured a 1-0 victory over Fulham at Old Trafford.
For much of the opening period, it was United who were on the attack, maintaining a high press while driving forward into the hosts’ final third. Still, it was an intense midfield battle, with neither team managing to formulate any scoring opportunities.
In the 10th minute, Joao Pedro took a speculative shot from far that veered wide. While non-threatening, Pedro’s shot came from a build-up where Andre Onana’s pass was cut out by James Milner. United would have to be more focused when playing out from the back to avoid further costly mistakes.
Moments later, Diogo Dalot burst forward, firing a threatening cross into the box that met Amad Diallo. Unfortunately, Amad’s shot veered wide, wasting a prime scoring opportunity from metres out. It was a positive show of force from United.
While Yankuba Minteh raced into the box after getting on the end of a long ball, Casemiro produced a slick tackle to dispossess the Gambian.
After United won a free-kick due to a handball, Amad swung in a promising cross, however, Casemiro headed the ball over the crossbar. Still, United appeared to be quite forceful in attack; a promising sign for United fans.
Bruno Fernandes drove in a promising cross after 25 minutes, however, Brighton’s defence held steady. Dalot scooped up the rebound, however, his long-range effort soared over the top.
In the 31st minute, disaster struck as former United striker Danny Welbeck scored from close range to hand Brighton the lead. It was a soft goal for Welbeck, who was completely unmarked as he converted an easy tap-in completely against the run of play.
Moments later, it appeared that United exacted revenge. Marcus Rashford got on the end of an Amad cross, heading the ball at the keeper. The rebound then deflected off Rashford’s heel into the back of the net. Unfortunately, he was ruled marginally offside.
10 minutes from the break, Mason Mount sent a promising through ball into the box for Rashford, however, his pass was cut out for a corner.
On a subsequent counter, Fernandes laid off the ball to Mount, whose shot from distance was saved by Jason Steele.
As the players made their way down the tunnel at half-time, it was clear that Ten Hag would need to make some strategic changes during the break. Clearly, his team were still struggling to deliver the finished product, resulting in them trailing despite dominating much of the game.
Ten Hag did make a change at half-time as needed, bringing on Joshua Zirkzee for Mount. Hopefully, with a recognised striker up front, United would be able to improve their attacking play.
It was Brighton who appeared more aggressive after the restart, with James Milner putting a shot past Onana, only for Dalot to make goalline clearance.
In the 55th minute, Welbeck got a header right in front of goal, however, Onana was positioned to make a comfortable catch.
Brighton won a corner minutes later, with Welbeck rising to meet the subsequent cross only for his header to hit the post. United desperately needed to refocus if they wished to avoid a frustrating defeat.
On the hour mark, Amad received the ball on the right flank, surging into the box and weaving past Jan Paul van Hecke into the centre, where he struck a hard shot which was deflected into the back of the net to level the scoreline.
In the 65th minute, Alejandro Garnacho came on for Marcus Rashford, adding a fresh pair of legs to the left wing.
Moments later, United were on the counter-attack yet again, however Casemiro’s shot from distance soared over the crossbar.
With 20 minutes to go, United unleashed a rapid counter-attack, exploiting Brighton’s high defensive line. Amad slotted a through ball to Fernandes, who found Garnacho in the box. While Garnacho scored, the goal was soon reviewed by VAR due to an offside suspicion.
Because the ball hit an offside Zirkzee’s knee on the goalline before it went over, VAR ruled the goal offside. While a disappointing development, it was another positive moment for United that proved their ability to find the back of the net.
Welbeck was almost in on goal in the 74th minute, however, Maguire did well to dispossess him with a last-ditch sliding tackle.
After a bizarre foul was awarded, Brighton received a free-kick just outside the box. Billy Gilmour squared up to the ball, however his shot hit the wall. While Lewis Dunk got a header off the rebound, Onana made a solid catch to quell the danger.
With 13 minutes left on the clock, Matthijs de Ligt came on to replace Maguire while captain Fernandes made way for Scott McTominay.
In the 89th minute, Amad made way for Antony.
Straight after coming on, Antony drilled a threatening cross into the box, which McTominay volleyed. While the ball was blocked, the rebound fell to Casemiro, whose long-range effort was saved.
Right after, seven minutes of added time were announced, handing United plenty of time to hunt for a winner.
In the 95th minute, Brighton found the back of the net. Joao Pedro snuck under radar, managing to lose his mark after a corner to header in a cross after the initial corner was delt with. A disappointing moment for United following an array of lucrative scoring opportunities on the other end of the pitch.
United players hung their heads in shame at the full-time whistle, visually distraught after conceding at the death to lose what was a hard-fought match. Fingers will be pointed at Ten Hag after selecting a questionable lineup for the match, playing numerous players out of position.
Starting XI: Onana, Mazraoui, Maguire, Martinez, Mount, Fernandes, Rashford, Amad, Casemiro, Dalot, Mainoo
Subs: Zirkzee, Garnacho, De Ligt, McTominay, Antony
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