24 August 2024
Brighton 2 Man Utd 1
Two teams met at the Amex Stadium who were looking to maintain their perfect starts to the Premier League season. Man Utd fans were starting to believe that Erik ten Hag was in fact the messiah and that the good times were on their way back to Old Trafford. Brighton on the other hand were looking to bring them crashing back down to earth with a bang.
The visitors once again played with no striker as Bruno Fernandes filled that void. It was a positive start by the Red Devils as they passed the ball around and looked to find space in behind The Seagulls’ defence. Whilst not creating any clear-cut chances, they were getting shots off at goal but nothing really to test the Brighton keeper.
Man Utd’s travelling fans were in confident mood themselves and even started to sing ‘United are the greatest football team’. Bold claim. You wonder whether they have watched this team at all in the last decade to feel that way inclined. It is now eleven years since the club last won a Premier League title after all. Since the Ferguson era there has been a revolving door policy on the Old Trafford hotseat with no one able to make their mark.
Brighton came forward and Joao Pedro put in a dangerous cross into the box that evaded everyone. It was collected on the byline by Mitoma, who had time and space to pick his cross. As he squared it across goal Welbeck was there to slide in and score. The ex-Man Utd forward had come back to haunt his old employers. Suddenly the away end fell deathly silent.
Ten Hag’s side looked to find an immediate way back into the game and piled the pressure on the hosts’ defence. Diallo swung a ball into the back post and Rashford met it with a header that somehow went in despite Steele initially saving it. As he wheeled away to celebrate, the out of form attacker was to be denied as the assistant’s flag was raised. The replay showed he was a good yard off.
That pretty much sums up the life of Marcus Rashford right now. Despite all his riches, he cannot buy a goal of late. Two seasons ago the forward scored 30 goals in all competitions. Now it looks like he has been replaced with a lookalike who could not score in a brothel with a fistful of fifties. Adding Ruud van Nistelrooy to the coaching staff has yet to bear fruit on the goalscoring front.
Into the second half and some good football by The Seagulls saw James Milner through on goal. He slotted the ball past Onana, only to see his goalbound shot cleared off the line by Diogo Dalot. It was a well-timed sliding clearance that kept the visitors in this game. A second goal for Brighton would have surely been too much for United to come back from.
Minteh then swung in a corner and Welbeck rose to meet it with a superb header, only to see the ball come thundering back off the crossbar. He was becoming a real thorn in the side of the visitors’ defence but on this occasion the woodwork was to deny him. Brighton’s fans felt it was just a matter of time before they doubled their lead.
As is the way in football, those missed chances seemed to come back to bite Hurzeler’s side. Mazraoui played the ball into the path of Diallo in a wide position. He was able to cut inside onto his left foot and looked to bend one in the far corner. Steele seemed to have the shot covered but the ball deflected off a defender and wrong-footed the keeper. The away end erupted.
The Red Devils seemed to come alive after their equaliser. As they streamed forward once again, Fernandes rolled the ball across the six yard box for Garnacho to score. Celebrations were again cut short as the VAR review identified that Zirkzee had got the last touch before it crossed the line and was in an offside position. When it rains it pours, especially in Manchester.
Deep into added time, it was the hosts turn to pile on the pressure. Man Utd half-cleared the ball but The Seagulls recycled it well. Adingra lifted a cross into the back post where two Brighton players were queuing up to meet it. The defending by the Red Devils was nothing short of shambolic in this moment. It was like something from a parks pitch in a town near you.
Joao Pedro met the cross and headed it into the far corner. The Amex Stadium erupted as they got their winning goal in the fifth minute of added time. There was no way back into this game for Erik ten Hag’s side as The Seagulls inflicted their first defeat of the season. Moments earlier United thought they had scored a winner, now heads were hung as the game was lost.
As ever the post-match interview with Erik ten Hag makes you wonder whether he was watching a game from the Alex Ferguson era with his comments. Based on the stats, Brighton edged this game and the scoreline reflected it. They will now need to bounce back as they welcome fierce rivals Liverpool to Old Trafford next weekend.
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