Manchester United’s bright start to the season ended quickly with a 2-1 defeat to Brighton. The Red Devils were defeated by a late goal from Joao Pedro to help the hosts earn all three points from the game.
Perhaps the most glaring error from Erik Ten Hag’s men was the blunder from Joshua Zirkzee that ruled out a certain equaliser for Alejandro Garnacho. However, there is more to the story.
Manchester United remain a work in progress heading into 24-25
This shot from Alejandro Garnacho was heading into an open net, but Joshua Zirkzee's touch on the goalline resulted in it being ruled offside…#TheKickOff | #BHAMUN pic.twitter.com/dLMBCzv30a
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 24, 2024
United’s strength of scoring late goals is now one of their biggest weaknesses, as they have lost a sixth game under Erik Ten Hag to a goal scored after the 90th minute, more than any other team.
On the other hand, their poor defending for Pedro’s header has also left fans fuming. The defensive structure seems to come apart late in the games, allowing the opposition to capitalise on the lack of shape.
While United are optimistic that the addition of Manuel Ugarte will aid this problem to a great extent, it could be down to how they are set up for the final stretch of the game. Although there are signs that the team can build further, they remain inconsistent in almost every department. As a result, they must aim to minimise the unforced errors on their part to turn things around.
