Brighton 3 - 2 Man Utd: A disastrous 90 minutes for the Red Devils

I think disaster is the right word. It's not just the outcome of the game. It was the manner the game is being played, from the defenders, all the way to the forwards.

Forget about World Cup winner Paul Pogba's last minute penalty kick. That was luck and I think the referee probably felt a bit bad for Manchester United so he gave that penalty kick. 


Last week, I wrote about how Pogba and Shaw being the positive but in this game, there was none of it. Pogba was not interested to play proper football. He lacked the desire to chase the game. 

Luke Shaw perhaps remain the only positive thing in this Man United side after two games. Bailly and Lindelof were horrible. It was as if anyone could have gone passed them.

I think 3 - 2 was a luck for the Red Devils. It should have been worse. 

Of course, the introduction of Jesse Lingaard and Marcus Rashford helped to improve the pace of the game but Pogba appeared to be trying his luck with each of his pass. Before being substituted, Anthony Martial looked like a player who is set to sit on the bench for the rest of the season. I would rather have Alexis Sanchez that lost the balls so often than to have Martial standing there like a tree. 

Strategy was as bad as it can get. 

There is not much that Lukaku could have done without the supply. 

While trying to chase the game, it was obvious that United did not know how to coordinate their attack. Even when Brighton two forwards try to pressure the four defenders, it was as if the two strikers could have won the ball from Man United every time except for some good works by Shaw. 

And at the end of the game, Pogba admitted that the team lacked the right attitude. 

"The attitude that we had was not like we wanted to beat them. They had more anger than us and that showed on the pitch," 


"I put myself first. My attitude wasn't right enough. We'll keep trying and keep pushing and obviously it's a lesson for us."

Mistakes that killed us

That was Mourinho's message but I think it's more than that.
Here's what the boss said:

"We were punished by the mistakes we made. For me that's the story of the game.


"We made incredible mistakes in some crucial moments. Mistakes that killed us."

If it were only mistakes, United would have been able to come back from behind. I'm sure all the Red Devils would agreed. There is a lack of passion from the team. And if this continues, there is no way Manchester United could fight for the championship. 


Billy Toh

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