Manchester United 1-3 Brighton: Red Devils player ratings as Erik ten Hag' men get schooled by Seagulls on home soil

Manchester United 1-3 Brighton: Red Devils player ratings as Erik ten Hag' men get schooled by Seagulls on home soil | Premier League 2023-24

By Anirudh

Modified Sep 16, 2023 17:24 GMT

Britain Soccer Premier League — Manchester United's Christian Eriksen controls the ball under pressure from Brighton's Mahmoud Dahoud.

Brighton & Hove Alboin came away from Old Trafford with three points on Saturday, September 16, thanks to their 3-1 defeat of Manchester United.

Former Red Devil Danny Welbeck put the vision in front in the 20th minute when he steered a low left-footed shot past Andre Onana from six yards. Rasmus Hojlund looked to have scored the equalizer before halftime. The goal was, however, ruled out by VAR as the ball had crossed the byline before he converted it.

Eight minutes into the second half, Pascal Gross doubled Brighton's lead when he converted Tariq Lamptey's short pass which Manchester United defenders failed to cut out. 71 minutes into the contest, the Seagulls added a third when Joao Pedro side-footed Lamptey's pass from the edge of the box past Onana.

Substitute Hannibal Mejbri's powerful strike from distance nestled into the bottom right-hand corner of Jason Steele's goal two minutes later. Though it was merely a consolation goal for the home fans to cheer about.

On that note, here are the player ratings for Manchester United:

Andre Onana - 5/10

Andre Onana can't be held solely accountable for any of Brighton's goals. While he looked calm and composed with the ball at his feet, the lack of clean sheets should be troubling him.

Diogo Dalot - 5/10

Diogo Dalot started strong and faded quickly, much like most of his teammates. He had a tough day against Kaoru Mitoma and Erik ten Hag won't be rushing to use the Portuguese instead of the Englishman in the long run.

Victor Lindelof - 4/10

Victor Lindelof did well to help out Diogo Dalot on the right side of the defence. Besides that, however, he did not impress. While he was not solely at fault for any of the three goals conceded, he was part of a back four that looked disjointed whenever they came under pressure.

Lisandro Martinez - 4/10

This could possibly go down as one of Lisandro Martinez's worst performances in a Manchester United shirt to date. His defensive authority, ferocious tackles, and well-time interceptions were all missing. Losing his footing allowed Pascal Gross to score Brightoin's second goal.

Sergio Reguilon - 5/10

Sergio Reguilon looked defensively suspect during his time at Tottenham Hotspur and that hasn't changed since joining Manchester United on loan this summer. The cross for the first goal came from his flank.

Scott McTominay - 4/10

After all the clamor to use Scott McTominay a lot more, Erik ten Hag gave the Scotsman his first start of the season. What he saw, however, would not have changed his mind going forward.

Casemiro - 5/10

Casemiro put on a one-man defensive act in the midfield well since moving from Real Madrid. However, it looks like it is curtains up for that show. The Brazilian saw a large chunk of his passes go astray and Brighton comfortably bypassed him in the middle of the park.

Christian Eriksen - 5/10

Christian Eriksen tried his best to help in Manchester United’s buildup and ball progression — which was few and far between. He was largely sloppy and slow and played like his best days were behind him.

Bruno Fernandes - 5/10

Did Bruno Fernandes do his best to try and get his team going? Yes. Was his quality with the delivery lacking? Also yes.

The Portuguese player struggled to influence the game in his usual way. That normally spells trouble for Manchester United as they do not have another player of his quality to take the game by the scruff of the neck.

Marcus Rashford - 7/10

Fans got the full Marcus Rashford experience against Brighton — from his electric pace and clever movements to decision-making troubles and visible frustrations when his team is down. He did set up Rasmus Hojlund's goal, which was eventually disallowed.

That said, he was Manchester United's best player by a large margin.

Rasmus Hojlund - 6/10

On his home debut, Rasmus Hojlund's overall performance would have given Manchester United fans some hope for the future. Looked like lacked a little sharpness, which is understandable considering he was out for a while due to injury.

Ratings of Manchester United substitutes

Anthony Martial - 5/10

Martial replaced Rasmus Hojlund just past the hour mark. He came onto the pitch to a round of boos — possibly for the decision to take off the Norwegian striker. Given how the Frenchman performed after getting substituted, he might see fans' ire aimed at him the next time he takes to the pitch.

Hannibal Mejbri - 6/10

Mejbri played with hunger and desire after replacing Casemiro in the 64th minute. Took his long-rage goal with gusto and injected some life into a stadium that looked forlorn until then.