Manchester United suffer another home defeat
Manchester United 1 - 3 Brighton & Hove Albion
Manchester United fell to their sixth home defeat of the season at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion.
Yankuba Minteh scored first for the visitors early in the match, but a penalty from Bruno Fernandes midway through the first half seemed to provide the foundation United needed to secure all three points.
However, a chaotic second half saw Kaoru Mitoma tap home at the back post, before a mistake from Andre Onana gifted Georginio Rutter a third in an eventful 3-1 victory.
It was hardly the way United's players would have wanted to mark the death of their iconic and legendary striker Denis Law. However, they deserved nothing more. This was another dreadful display in what is becoming a very bad season for the twenty times champions of England.
A closer look at what happened
This was far from the kind of result or performance that would have honoured the great Denis Law.
The brilliance and flair that earned him the title of "the best Scottish player of all time," as Sir Alex Ferguson described him before the match, were sadly absent. To make matters worse, there wasn’t much energy coming from the stands to lift the team either.
A big part of the problem is that United fans have no idea what to expect from their side – they’re as unpredictable as ever.
The ease with which Minteh sliced through the defence to score, and Mitoma’s threatening run that nearly exposed Mazraoui down Brighton’s left flank, were worrying signs. Yet, further up the pitch, midweek hero Amad Diallo and Joshua Zirkzee managed to offer glimpses of promise.
Premier League: 2024/2025 season
The uncertainty was summed up by a nervy clearance from Harry Maguire inside his own six-yard box, just as goalkeeper André Onana appeared ready to gather the ball. Presumably, there was no shout to alert the England defender. As it turned out, that mix-up was minor compared to what followed.
Manager Rúben Amorim has already warned of bumps in the road and has, after a previous defeat, even suggested the team were in a relegation battle.
While United have picked up seven points from their last nine league games, it’s hard to believe they’ll end up in serious relegation trouble – largely because the teams below them are worse. However, it’s equally difficult to see this group performing consistently enough to secure a top-10 finish.
Best reaction
A great day for Brightonhttps://t.co/Mu4Cn3x6Z9 https://t.co/m8yeeIB6fa
— European Super Football (@ESFootballNews) January 19, 2025
The United response was less positive. You can see by the responses to that post on Twitter/X that fans of The Red Devils weren't happy with the performance.
One United fan, Olivia T, told us: "We need to stop conceding goals so easily. It's important for us to be more aggressive when we have the ball because this is the Premier League, and the quality of play is extremely high. We must maintain a high intensity at all times. In the final third, we need to be braver with the ball. I also need to keep possession between the lines and build our plays from there."
