August 24th 2024.
Manchester United suffered a tough loss against Brighton as they fell to a late goal from Joao Pedro in injury time. It was a quiet game for Marcus Rashford, who was unable to make his usual impact on the field. The former United player, Danny Welbeck, opened the scoring for Brighton with a goal after the first half hour. United managed to find an equalizer in the second half, thanks to Amad Diallo's deflected shot. However, their hopes of securing a win were dashed when Alejandro Garnacho's effort was ruled out due to an unusual deflection off Joshua Zirkzee's knee on the goal line. In the end, Brighton emerged victorious with the winning goal from Joao Pedro, leaving new manager Fabian Hurzeler with his second win in the Premier League.
Let's take a look at how each United player performed, as rated by The Agency. In goal, Andre Onana received a rating of 6. He couldn't do much to prevent either of Brighton's goals, but his distribution was excellent, especially in the first half. Noussair Mazraoui, another summer signing, had a positive display and managed to keep Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma quiet on the right flank. He looks confident on the ball and is an improvement from Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Harry Maguire, on the other hand, received a rating of 6. He could have done better to prevent Brighton's opener and was beaten too easily by James Milner in the second half.
Matthijs de Ligt, who came on as a substitute in the second half, is surely deserving of a chance to start soon. Lisandro Martinez received a rating of 6 as he looked composed on the ball but was at fault for Welbeck's goal and was missing for Joao Pedro's winner. Diogo Dalot, with a rating of 7, delivered a superb cross with his weaker foot for an early chance for Amad. He was solid and reliable on the left flank and made a crucial clearance off the line in the second half. However, he was not able to stop Joao Pedro's winning goal in the dying moments.
In the midfield, Casemiro received a rating of 6. He started strong but faded towards the end of the game, leaving doubts about his long-term future in United's central midfield. Kobbie Mainoo, who has yet to fully get into form this season, received a rating of 6 and seemed to lack his usual energy, possibly due to his lengthy time away with England at Euro 2024. Amad Diallo, with a rating of 7, had a mixed game. He missed United's best chance in the first half and made some poor decisions on the counterattack. However, he redeemed himself with the equalizing goal and was a constant threat for Brighton's defense.
Mason Mount, who was substituted at halftime, received a rating of 6. It was one of his more positive performances in his otherwise disappointing United career so far. He made some nice touches to push United forward and had a good effort on goal that was saved by Jason Steele. Marcus Rashford, with a rating of 5, had a goal ruled out by VAR for offside and was then taken off in the second half. He still has some work to do to get back to his best. Bruno Fernandes, with a rating of 6, looked better in the second half with the introduction of Joshua Zirkzee, which allowed him to play deeper. However, his run to assist what he thought was Garnacho's winning goal was unfortunately ruled out for offside. He was substituted shortly after for Scott McTominay, which affected United's attacking flow.
In the substitutes, Joshua Zirkzee received a rating of 6 but was unable to make a similar impact as his previous substitute appearances. He was unlucky to get a touch on the line that ruled out Garnacho's goal. Speaking of which, Alejandro Garnacho also received a rating of 6 and made an instant impact off the bench. He was denied a goal in a bizarre fashion and should be considered for a starting position in the future. Scott McTominay received a rating of 6, while Matthijs de Ligt received a rating of 6 as well. Antony, who was not able to make an appearance in the game, was not given a rating. Fans can keep up with all the latest Manchester United news, exclusives, and analysis by signing up for updates.
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