Danny Welbeck made a winning return to Old Trafford this afternoon, crossing the ball for the first of Pascal Gross’s brace in a 2-1 away win for the Seagulls. United’s fight-back was limited to non-existent and this first fixture of the season offered little reason for optimism.
Erik Ten Hag has a huge job on his hands and that is more apparent than ever.
“You were hoping for more from Man United, but it’s more of the same. I give credit to Brighton, but there’s no pressure on the ball [from United]”.
Roy Keane on Sky Sports
Pressure on the ball, desire and physicality were all once again lacking from United’s performance. It’s a huge disappointment for those expecting a fresh start under our new Dutch boss.
Brighton took a little while to get going, offering little by way of a threat in the opening 20 minutes. In that time, Bruno Fernandes passed up one notable chance, striking the ball over the bar from about ten yards with more power than direction.
A tepid atmosphere at Old Trafford – which had been rocking before kick off – reflected what was happening on the pitch. There were few chances and United played the same slow, unimaginative football that fans became so accustomed to last season.
the goals
Brighton found their breakthrough in the 29th minute. Diogo Dalot did little to close down Trossard on United’s right and he slotted the ball into Welbeck, who pulled it back across the box dangerously, finding an eager Pascal Gross ready to slot home.
Before the second goal, Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford passed the ball between each other on the left, hesitating and slowing down an already stuttering United attack. When United were inevitably dis-possessed, Brighton counter-attacked decisively and Gross had his second.
This was essentially the story of the game. United had possession, but were entirely impotent in attack. The goal Diogo Dalot shouldered goalwards, largely by accident, came as the result of a goalkeeping error and it was hard for United fans to take any real encouragement from.
Dalot struggled throughout the match, despite getting United’s only goal. Shaw too looked devoid of ideas. We would expect new signing Tyrell Malacia to start in his place against Brentford next weekend.
any hope?
The only occasional moments of inspiration coming from new signing, Christian Eriksen; who is yet to slide into the psychological malaise that seems to have overcome the rest of the squad. Likewise Lisandro Martinez looked refreshingly decisive and confident on the ball. He marked himself out as one of few decent performers; though he did almost gift Brighton a penalty with an overzealous challenge on Danny Welbeck in the box.
In the 52nd minute, Fred was taken off for Ronaldo, leaving Christian Eriksen to slot back into deep midfield, with Bruno and McTominay in front of him. This allowed Eriksen a little more space and time to be creative. He continued to exert some influence on the game but United seemed to lack the desire and application for an effective fight-back against Potter’s well-drilled Brighton side.
Ronaldo crossed for Rashford – clean through on goal – in the 59th minute and Robert Sanchez closed the space well, making himself big and denying Rashford. Otherwise, Ronaldo had little impact on the game and Rashford also struggled to make his mark.
It’s an alarming opening game for Manchester United; not just because they haven’t picked up any points, but because of the meek, indecisive performance. Eriksen and Martinez made good impressions on their debut but they were exceptions in a torrid performance from the Reds. Experienced players went missing and there were few positives to highlight.
Head over to the Stretford Paddock YouTube channel for more of our thoughts on the game, plus the full post-match analysis.