Manchester United fell to a fifth defeat in eight games as Ruben Amorim’s side lost 3-1 to Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Yankuba Minteh opened the scoring after only five minutes before Bruno Fernandes restored parity from the penalty spot midway through the first half.
However, the Seagulls took control in the second period.
Kaoru Mitoma benefitted from some slack defending to reestablish the visitor’s lead before a horrible fumble from Andre Onana allowed Georginio Rutter to slip home a third gleefully.
The defeat is United’s third consecutive loss to the South Coast club at the Manchester venue, leaving them in thirteenth position in the Premier League with 22 games played.
With a lot to sieve through, here are five talking points.
Defensive issues at Manchester United are badly exposed, again
The last time the Reds kept a clean sheet was against Everton at the start of December. Seven weeks later, Amorim’s men are still searching for their next shut-out.
The 20-time English champions have been poor at defending set-pieces this season, but the threat from open play is where they struggled most on the day.
Fabian Hurzeler’s side exploited the gaps in United’s back-line and ruthlessly took advantage of some loose defending to punish their hosts on three occasions.
Admittedly, the transition period under the Portuguese tactician is still very much in the bedding-in phase. It will take time to transform things, but this team badly needs a run of positive results soon.
Andre Onana drops a costly clanger
Despite enjoying a far better second season in English football, Onana has slipped back into some of his old habits in the past few weeks.
Notable errors occurred in the December defeats to Nottingham Forest and Wolves and again for Brighton’s third goal on Sunday.
At the highest level, you need to be able to rely on your goalkeeper. But over his first eighteen months at the club, the Cameroon international hasn’t been able to gain the trust of the Old Trafford faithful.
The 28-year-old absolutely deserves more time to put this right, but time and patience will eventually run out if he cannot eradicate these silly mistakes from his game.
Expect more highs and lows for Manchester United
Amorim has conceded that his side will continue to be inconsistent throughout the season.
There was to be no individual heroics this time to salvage a result like against Southampton three days previous, and Brighton were fully deserving of their victory.
The aim has got to be to turn the Premier League form around and finish as high up the table as possible whilst also trying to go as deep as possible in the Europa League.
This season is effectively a write-off, and more painful results are almost certainly imminent.
We have to hope that it will be short-term pain for long-term gain under the stewardship of the former Sporting Lisbon manager.
Zirkzee does well on his return to the starting XI
Joshua Zirkzee started his first game for United since the low point of being jeered off against Newcastle at the end of last month.
The former Bologna man enjoyed a fine cameo as a second-half substitute against Southampton, and he was lively again in his latest outing versus Brighton.
The Dutchman delivered another bright performance, holding the ball and linking play well alongside his efforts in earning the penalty.
The Stretford End recognised the 23-year-olds efforts and sang his name as the forward was substituted in the 84th minute, a huge contrast to the reaction he received against the Magpies just three weeks ago.
Amorim’s pressing system is bearing fruit despite defeat
The former European champions are still a major work in progress. But we are beginning to see Amorim’s fingerprints appear in this team, no matter how slow.
In the past two games, the Red Devils’ high-pressing system has yielded goals and chances, so this is definitely one positive we can take away from the game.
Amorim will undoubtedly want much more from his side in this regard, but the overall objective will be to become more threatening with the ball than without it.
High work rate was one of the hallmarks of the 39-year-old Sporting outfit, and we can already see some fleeting parallels in M16.
The team and the supporters can all acknowledge the rewards of working hard on the field, and this has been personified none more so than the in-form Amad Diallo.
What did you make of Manchester United’s disappointing defeat at home to Brighton?
Let us know in the comments or across our social channels.
Let’s hope we can see more improvements in the coming weeks.
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