3 reasons why Manchester United lost against Brighton
It's one of those days where that underwhelming feeling enwraps the red part of Manchester. After getting off to a flier in the last season, Manchester United have struggled to replicate the same in the opening weeks of the new campaign.
They were swept aside by a resolute and well organized Brighton side who looked more keen on coming out on top in every single battle that transpired on the pitch.
As United struggled to stamp their authority early on, right at the stroke of 25 minutes, Glen Murray came up with a cheeky finish that bamboozled David de Gea to put Chris Hughton's men ahead. Inside 2 minutes from then, Shane Duffy scored after play got scrappy inside the United box from a corner.
Manchester United hit back after that and Lukaku scored his first goal of the season though it was far from convincing. However, before United could make their new found momentum count, Pascal Gross converted from the spot after Eric Bailly's reckless challenge afforded them a penalty.
Pogba converted from the spot for the second successive game but it came all too late to significantly impact the proceedings.
United looked insipid and their body language was far from flattering. On that note, let's take a look at the 3 reasons why the Red Army failed at the Falmer Stadium yet again.
#3 Defensive set up is starting to look meaningless
Once again, like it happened against Leicester, they let their opponents get comfortable in possession. Andreas Pereira was usually seen walking alongside Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof in a role more withdrawn than human life at the south pole. With the kind of attacking power that Manchester United have, it is a pity to watch them set up so defensively against a side such as Brighton. With players who have plenty of flair like Fred, Andreas Pereira, Pogba, Mata and Martial, Manchester United were happy to sit deep and hit their opponents on the counter.
The cautious approach has often led United to disappointment. They showed urgency only towards the fag end of the game and if they were dreaming of reaping rewards for that, they should just go back to sleep.
Manchester United, or rather, Jose Mourinho needs to understand that his players are capable of doing a lot more and instead of letting the players adapt to a system that is so uninteresting in nature, he should perhaps, change the tactical set up into something that suits the talent he has at his disposal.