With a 2-1 Premier League loss at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, the Erik ten Hag era at Manchester United got underway, and the Dutch manager was made acutely aware of the amount of work still to be done.
On the half-hour mark, Brighton took the lead when Leandro Trossard connected with former United forward Danny Welbeck, who squared the ball to the back post for Pascal Gross to score.
Nine minutes later, Gross doubled the advantage with his sixth goal against United in his career after David De Gea had carelessly pushed out a Solly March shot directly into the German’s path. Gross once again scored without making a mistake.
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Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister, left, scores an own goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Brighton on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022, at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England. Dave Thompson/AP Photo
Ten Hag replaced Cristiano Ronaldo in the 53rd minute, and the Portugal star, who is rumored to desire to quit the club, ignited United’s comeback attempt.
Alexis Mac Allister’s own goal during a goalmouth scramble gave the home team some momentum in the 68th minute, but Brighton held on to defeat United for the second time in a row, following their 4-0 success in May.
Ten Hag acknowledged that his United stint had gotten off to a rough start:
“Of course it is definitely a setback, a real disappointment. We have to deal with it, the Dutchman told Sky Sports.
“I knew from the start it wouldn’t be easy. It is a process, it takes time – but you don’t have time. You have to win games. We should have done better. We have to analyse it and take the lessons.”
According to Squawka, Brighton had never won a Premier League game in Manchester, failing in their 11 attempts against Utd and City.
Theyβve just won 2-1 at Old Trafford in Erik ten Hagβs first game in charge.
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