CUE inquest No 1 in Manchester United’s season. You get the impression it won’t be the last.
There was an air of inevitability about it all when Joao Pedro slammed home in the 95th minute as Brighton maintained their perfect start to the season. This was far from perfect for United.
Hope springs eternal at this stage of the campaign. Fans believe things will be different.
For United it seems a case of same old, same old. The same deficiencies, the same problems.
Having clawed their way back into the game after Brighton, albeit against the run of play, took a first-half lead through former United striker Danny Welbeck – Ten Hag’s side inexplicably chucked it all away thanks in no small part to some of the most horrendous defending you will see this weekend.
Joao Pedro scored a 95th-minute winner to see Brighton claim a 2-1 victory over Manchester United
Pedro slammed home a header from a cross to maintain the Seagulls’ perfect start to the season
Manchester United players will feel deflated after two offside calls went against them
It’s all a familiar feeling for United. That sinking feeling. The optimism garnered from last weekend’s win over Fulham gone in flash.
But even then, Joshua Zirkzee’s late winner papered over the cracks of what was an insipid opening day win.
The cracks have been left horribly exposed this weekend. That should worry Ten Hag.
In the fullness of time the Dutchman will look to his team’s first-half display for reasons to be positive.
That would have credence, United were unfortunate to find themselves behind at half time.
As Ten Hag darted towards the tunnel, he may have found difficulty in finding the words.
His team were good and unlucky to be in deficit. Winger Amad Diallo was dangerous, Casemiro looked lean, Bruno Fernandes – in a false nine role – caused problems, as did Marcus Rashford down the left. All that was really lacking was the finishing touch.
Manchester United caused problems for the Seagulls – the only thing lacking was the finishing touch
Diallo was guilty of their clearest miss in the 10th minute, spurning a golden opportunity at the back post following Diogo Dalot’s delicious cross from the left.
Casemiro then headed over before Diallo’s dreadful pass wasted a promising three versus two counter attack on 30 minutes.
What followed two minutes later arrived as an immense frustration to Ten Hag.
It was Welbeck who stabbed home from Kaoru Mitoma’s pass for his 100th career goal.
But it was Joao Pedro’s dangerous cross from the right, coupled with Harry Maguire’s perplexing decision not to at least try to deal with it, that proved United’s undoing.
Despite United’s supremacy, Brighton’s lead didn’t represented a comprehensive injustice.
Former Manchester United forward Danny Welbeck broke the deadlock in the first-half
Rising above Harry Maguire and Co to slot home a well placed header beating Onana
Well organised and drilled within an inch of their lives, the first impressions of new boss Fabian Hurzeler are encouraging.
Last weekend’s comfortable win at Everton and now this. They have a knack of unearthing coaching gems round these parts.
They may have done it again here with Hurzeler.
But credit to United, they continued to assert control. Rashford bundled the ball over the line in the 34th minute from Diallo’s cross only for the effort to be marginally ruled out for offside before Jason Steele saved Mason Mount’s effort from the edge of the box.
That was Mount’s final meaningful contribution to proceedings as Ten Hag hooked him in place of Zirkzee at half-time. Ten Hag said Mount had complained of an injury after the game.
The change knocked United off their stride. James Milner passed up two good opportunities, the second in particular guild-edged as Dalot cleared off the line.
United came out the slower team after half time as they were knocked off their stride
United’s fluency had vanished into thin air. Brighton, all of a sudden, were in the ascendancy.
Welbeck sent a towering header from Milner’s cross onto the bar as United continue to buckle.
So, according to the how the first half unfolded, you could predict what would follow.
United’s leveller arrived on the hour as Diallo, collecting a pass from Noussair Mazraoui, powered down the right to cut inside Jack Hinshelwood before unleashing past Steele.
The goal owed significantly to a deflection off Jan Paul van Hecke, but it would be cruel to take this strike away from Diallo following a traumatic 24 hours.
The 22-year-old insisted he wanted to play here at the Amex following the passing of his stepmother earlier in the week.
22-year-old Amad Diallo drew the Red Devils back level in the 60th minute
Ten Hag will have been grateful his young winger showed such fortitude. It’s a shame his team-mates couldn’t have shown the same sort of mettle in the closing stages.
Rashford departed in place of Alejandro Garnacho shortly after the goal as Ten Hag tried to influence the game.
It nearly proved a masterstroke. Diallo, again, proved a menace down the right before playing a well-timed pass into Fernandes’ path.
The United skipper found Garnacho at the back post; the Argentine appearing to fire visitors ahead.
But the substitute’s effort took the faintest of touches off Zirkzee on the line as the Holland star slid in towards goal.
If the ball hadn’t clipped Zirkzee then the goal would have stood. It was brutal for United, but not as callous as the game’s climax.
Erik Ten Hag’s men were unlucky to not take the lead after Garnacho’s shot was ruled offside after the substitute¿s effort took the faintest of touches off Zirkzee who was offside
New Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler (right) was delighted as his side picked up their second straight win
United only have themselves to blame. Their failure to clear a corner eventually saw the excellent Billy Gilmour recycle the ball on the edge of the area with a clever pass into Simon Adingra.
The winger’s back post cross was sumptuous. In contrast, United’s marking was abysmal.
Pedro gobbled up the opportunity with a powerful back post header as the Amex exploded.
You’d imagine Ten Hag was erupting, too, but for entirely different reasons.
