Manchester United suffered a shocking 3-1 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Sunday, leaving fans and pundits questioning the team’s form this season.
The visitors took an early lead just five minutes into the match. Kaoru Mitoma beat the offside trap on the left flank after a precise long ball from Carlos Baleba. Mitoma’s low cross found an unmarked Yankuba Minteh, who tapped in to put Brighton ahead.
United responded midway through the first half. Brighton’s attempt to play out from the back went awry when goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen’s poor pass landed at the feet of Joshua Zirkzee inside the box. Baleba clipped Zirkzee’s shoulder, and the striker went down, prompting referee Peter Bankes to award a penalty. Bruno Fernandes stepped up and calmly slotted home to level the score at 1-1.
In the second half, Brighton thought they had regained the lead when Manchester United failed to clear a low free-kick and Pedro found the back of the net. However, a VAR check ruled out the goal due to a foul by Jan Paul van Hecke on Diogo Dalot in the buildup.
The Seagulls didn’t have to wait long to celebrate again. On the hour mark, Mitoma outpaced United defender Noussair Mazraoui at the back post to turn in another assist from Minteh, making it 2-1 in favor of Brighton.
Disaster struck for United when goalkeeper Andre Onana made a horrendous error, gifting Brighton a third goal and sealing the match. The loss marks United’s tenth defeat of the league campaign—the earliest they’ve reached double figures since the 1989-90 season.
“Another loss at home. It’s not acceptable, the way we conceded the goals,” Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim lamented after the match. “We can play some football, but only in small spells. It’s not consistent, and we get nervous, and then we concede.”
The match was played in a somber atmosphere, as both teams were led out by bagpipes in memory of Manchester United legend Denis Law, who passed away this week. Former manager Sir Alex Ferguson laid a wreath at the center circle in a touching tribute.
The defeat leaves United in 13th place with 26 points, while Brighton climbs to ninth with 34 points, just four points shy of the top four. Brighton has now won six of their last seven league games against United and triumphed in their last three visits to Old Trafford.
The pressure mounts on Manchester United as they look to turn their season around. With performances like this, questions will be asked about the team’s direction and strategy moving forward.
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Manchester United suffer 3-1 loss against Brighton at Old Trafford
cgtn.com
