Manchester United faced a challenging 3-1 defeat against Brighton at their home ground, Old Trafford. What made this loss even more noteworthy was the shift in sentiment among the home crowd towards manager Erik ten Hag.
Ten Hag had been a beloved figure among United fans since his arrival last summer, especially in his ongoing dispute with winger Jadon Sancho. However, the tide turned during this match when Ten Hag made a pivotal decision that did not sit well with the supporters.
The turning point was when Ten Hag opted to substitute new signing Rasmus Hojlund with Anthony Martial, just 19 minutes into the second half. This decision was met with a resounding chorus of boos from the fans, signaling their clear disagreement with the move. Nonetheless, they did applaud Hojlund as he left the pitch.
Regrettably, the substitution failed to bring about a significant change in the outcome for United. They were already trailing due to a first-half goal from Danny Welbeck, a one-time fan favorite. Brighton further solidified their lead in the second half, courtesy of goals from Pascal Gross and substitute Joao Pedro, both of whom found themselves with too much space in the United penalty area.
A glimmer of hope emerged for United with Hannibal Mejbri’s first goal for the club. However, in the frantic closing moments of the match, it was Brighton who came closest to scoring again. Andre Onana made four exceptional saves, with the most remarkable one occurring in injury time when he denied Ansu Fati, who was making his debut for United on loan from Barcelona.
This loss marked Manchester United’s first home defeat in 13 months, with Brighton once again emerging victorious at Old Trafford. The Seagulls have now secured four consecutive Premier League victories over United. Although there were boos at the final whistle, they were not as deafening as when Hojlund was substituted.
Ten Hag’s team is now grappling with the disconcerting trend of conceding 10 goals in their last four games, and they have allowed more than one goal in four successive league matches for the first time since 1979.
