“A lack of concentration, a lack of focus” - Gary Neville identifies Manchester United star who left acres of space for Brighton to score late winner
Gary Neville has identified Manchester United midfielder Casemiro as the culprit in the build-up to Brighton's winning goal today (August 24). The Red Devils icon has noted how the Brazilian left his position with plenty of space behind which the Seagulls exploited to seal a 2-1 victory at the American Express Stadium.
The Premier League continues to deliver amazing surprises to football lovers. On today's edition, it is Manchester United who found themselves at the end of a shocking defeat away from home.
The Red Devils found themselves one goal down in the first half following a sluggish start as Danny Welbeck opened the scoring for the hosts in the 32nd minute. They managed to restore parity via an Amad Diallo strike after the restart but their lack of concentration allowed Brighton to score an injury-time winner via a Joao Pedro strike.
Erik ten Hag's men have been getting a lot of stick since that setback and Gary Neville particularly wouldn't spare Casemiro for his fault in the decisive goal. The former Manchester United defender highlighted how the Brazilian's error cost his side the three points.
"In the second half, and the first goal was poor defensively, but that last goal I've just watched it, when you clear from a corner you've got to still defend as you would the second phase of a corner," Neville said in his post-match analysis for NBC Sports.
"In particular if you watch Casemiro it looks to me like he leaves his position at the back post and goes back into central midfield but it then leaves acres of space in the back zone. A lack of concentration, a lack of focus, and it does put some pressure on them," the Englishman added.
Casemiro has featured in each of United's three games this season - including the Community Shield clash with Man City - playing full 90 minutes in all. It remains to be seen how his latest blunder will impact his participation in subsequent games.
What the defeat means for Manchester United
The 2-1 loss to Brighton means that Manchester United have now recorded their first Premier League defeat of the season. The Red Devils threw away three points that would've kept them on par with the division's big boys like Manchester City.
It also means that they've now fallen to the 12th position in the table with three points from two games at the time of this writing. They also became the second big club to taste defeat in the English top flight this season after Chelsea lost to Man City last weekend.
Up next, Erik ten Hag's have a massive fixture coming up next weekend as they prepare to take on Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday, September 1. It promises to be an intense game and the Red Devils must be at the top of their game to get a result.