Manchester United's Vulnerabilities Resurface in Narrow Defeat to Brighton
Despite the talk of a fresh start under new manager Erik ten Hag, Manchester United's 2-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday had a sense of déjà vu and inevitability.
Defensively, United were far too porous, and though they will point to an unfortunate disallowed goal, they managed to self-destruct in the end, allowing Joao Pedro to head home the winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time. This will make it difficult to view when the team reviews the match back at their training ground.
Some positive signs in United's performance suggested Ten Hag's ideas are taking shape. After being given the backing to rebuild his backroom staff and bring in four new signings, this was meant to be the season where Ten Hag's vision for the team would start to materialize. However, United lost to Brighton due to the very same defensive errors that have plagued them before and should have been addressed by now.
On both of Brighton's goals, United left players unmarked. For the first, in the 32nd minute, Harry Maguire and Noussair Mazraoui failed to deal with a cross and a ball into the six-yard box, allowing Danny Welbeck to score against his former club. For the winner, Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, and Lisandro Martínez were all ball-watching as Pedro was left completely free to head the ball past André Onana. It was far too easy for Brighton to breach United's defense.
Despite the optimism surrounding Ten Hag's arrival, United's long-standing defensive frailties once again proved to be their undoing in this defeat.
Original Source >>>> ESPA