Manchester United endured a dismal 3-1 home defeat to Brighton, compounding Ruben Amorim’s troubles on a day dedicated to paying tribute to club legend Denis Law, who passed away aged 84.
Brighton capitalised on a glaring error by goalkeeper Andre Onana to secure their third consecutive victory at Old Trafford, leaving United languishing in 13th place in the Premier League.
Yankuba Minteh opened the scoring for Brighton early on, setting the tone for United’s struggles.
Although Bruno Fernandes briefly restored parity with a penalty before halftime, second-half strikes from Kaoru Mitoma and Georginio Rutter sealed a deserved victory for the Seagulls.
Amorim, appointed from Sporting Lisbon to replace Erik ten Hag, has now overseen six losses in 11 league matches, with United’s defensive frailties and Onana’s inconsistency once again exposed.
The emotional day marked a sombre tribute to Law, one of United’s greatest-ever players. Law, the club’s third all-time top scorer with 237 goals in 404 appearances, was celebrated for his role in United’s European Cup triumph in 1968, even though he missed the final due to injury.
Despite recent glimpses of progress with results against Liverpool, Arsenal, and Southampton, United’s flaws were brutally exposed by a dynamic Brighton side, who now move up to ninth in the table under Fabian Hurzeler.
United’s inability to keep a clean sheet in 12 consecutive matches, combined with mounting defensive errors, has left them rooted in the bottom half of the table and far from guaranteed safety in the weeks ahead.
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