José Mourinho's 4 most humiliating defeats as a Manchester United manager

#3 Manchester United 2-3 Brighton & Hove Albion (2018/19 Season)

Brighton knocked the wind out of Manchester United

Manchester United started the 2018/19 Premier League season with a hard fought win against Leicester City at Old Trafford. They then travelled to the Amex Stadium to face a Brighton side who had beaten them in the same fixture last season.

Mourinho opted for Martial and Mata alongside Lukaku in attack, due to the sudden injury of Sanchez a day before the game. Pogba, Fred and Pereira continued in midfield, whereas Shaw, Lindelof, Bailly and Young started in defence, with De Gea in goal.

Even though United started as favourites, Brighton’s attacking play caught the Red Devils by surprise. Glenn Murray shocked everyone by scoring the first goal for Brighton in the 25th minute, turning the ball into the net in a cheeky finish that De Gea could do nothing about.

Within two minutes, Duffy scored and put Brighton 2-0 up. United rallied with all their might and pulled a goal back when Lukaku headed Shaw’s cross into the goal in the 34th minute, but the home side was 3-1 up just a minute before the break when Gross converted a penalty after he was fouled by Bailly.

United did not show any desire or intent in the first half, looking clueless at times. Pogba converted a penalty in the second half injury time, but it was too little too late. United crashed to a humiliating defeat that prompted Pogba to question his and his team’s attitude.

The defence was especially woeful and Mourinho, who had been asking for reinforcement at back through the summer, saw his concerns laid out open to the world. United were not too spectacular in attack either. They had 67% possession in the game, attempted 572 passes with 84% accuracy, and had 9 shots, out of which only 3 were on target. It was an embarrassing day for Mourinho, but unfortunately, more misery would follow in a week.