THE NOTEBOOK: Manchester United break records for all the wrong reasons in 3-1 home defeat… and Brighton show that they can get the job done on a shoestring budget
- The Red Devils were overrun by Roberto De Zerbi’s south coast after a home loss
- Defensive failures were quickly exploited by goalscorers Welbeck, Gross and Pedro
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’
Brighton gave Manchester United a beating on their own field on Saturday afternoon with the 3-1 victory over Erik ten Hag’s team.
Despite a second-half effort from youth player Hannibal Mejiri to take the match back, the Red Devils looked weak against the south coast in full swing.
Danny Welbeck opened the scoring inside the opening 20 minutes before Pascal Gross added to the hosts’ misery on a lackluster day at Old Trafford.
Roberto De Zerbi also saw a quick return from new signing Joao Pedro, who scored the team’s third just 13 minutes after being introduced as a substitute – while Man United’s new signing Rasmus Hojlund had a goal disallowed after the ball was briefly out of play disappeared. .
Here, Mail Sport’s Nathan Salt breaks down some of the things you might have missed during the Old Trafford clash.
Man United had a day to forget as they broke their 31-match unbeaten run at home
Brighton showed their tireless eye for talent with the inclusion of Simon Adingra (left) in the squad
The hosts looked poor in defense and Brighton made gains on their trip to Old Trafford
All good things must come to an end
What a way to see a 31-match unbeaten run on home turf come to an end. Not since Real Sociedad United had suffered defeat at Old Trafford, but this was a battle against a Brighton team who have now had their number four times in a row.
“Can we play against you every week?” Brighton fans cheered midway through the second half. Consecutive season wins at Old Trafford suggest they would do just fine if they did.
Value for your money
A look at Brighton’s starting XI showed that nine of their starters had cost a total of just £7.9m, with five costing nothing.
Compare that to the £346.7m United spent and it shows just two approaches with two very different results.
Brighton have been plundered for talent for years – Moises Caicedo joined Chelsea for a British record £115m – and yet they simply go looking for another gem. Simon Adingra looks the latest… see him go for a mega fee.
Come back to haunt them
There’s the old saying of a player taking his game to the next level when it comes to taking on a former club: Danny Welbeck stepping down.
His opening goal here made it four Premier League goals against Manchester United – the most by any player to have previously played for the Red Devils.
He won’t be welcomed back anytime soon.
Leaking at the back
This 3–1 defeat for United made it the first time they have conceded more than one goal in four consecutive league games since 1979.
Rewriting the wrong kind of history from a unified point of view.
The Manchester legacy of goalscorer Danny Welbeck (left) gave the crowd powerful ammunition
Jadon has the last laugh?
When he was banned from the first team for refusing to apologize to Erik ten Hag for his statement in light of his training performances being questioned, Jadon Sancho decided that his match action for the day would be at Carrington to watch the Under-18s.
There he was, against a barrier, with his hood up as United’s kids came from behind to win 3-1.
Along the way, his contemporaries had turned 3-1, with a real lack of creativity on the right. The impasse continues…
