Manchester United welcomed Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. to Old Trafford for the Premier League clash on Saturday.
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Manchester United laboured to a 1-0 win over ninth placed Brighton on match-day 13 of the Premier League.
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Although Manchester United had the chance to return to winning ways after a disappointing 1-0 loss to FC Basel at St. Jakob Park in the Champions League.
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For Brighton, it was another chance to test themselves against the top flight teams in England.
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Despite Brighton going into the match as underdogs, they are building a reputation as a tough nut to crack.
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United have stretched their unbeaten run to 39 games after two consecutive wins against Newcastle United and Brighton at home.
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A slick of luck from Young’s strike saved United from a humiliating result from the visitors in the 66th minute.
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Ashley Young’s shot was heavily deflected off the foot of Lewis Dunk to the back of the net.
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The Reds may have taken maximum points from the tie but spirited Brighton put up an inspiring match to the home team.
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Here we discuss the three points on which United fans should be furious after Premier League clash with Brighton
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1. Manchester United Lacked Tempo In The First Half Against Brighton
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Considering the way the Red Devils performed against FC Basel, the fans hoped United would go into the match with more dominance.
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However, viewers saw a different performance from the home side, unable to move the ball quickly.
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With an apparent hangover for Manchester United after the Champions League, their performance were completely lack-lustre.
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United’s midfield trio of Matic, Pogba and Mata were unable to keep and use the ball on the pitch.
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Moreover they were actually showed up by the guests not being able to make any positive impact on the game.
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Their inability to pass the ball forward was actually utilised by Brighton to create opportunities and put United’s defense more pressure than they should have.
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The host team’s first real chance came in the 44th minute which was denied by Mathew Ryan’s double save.
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Although United’s performance improved in the second half may be due to the manager’s wrath in the half-time.
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2. Lukaku’s Possible Ban For Kicking Brighton Defender Bong
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Lukaku was faced with a violent conduct charge and three match-ban decision for an alleged kick on Brighton & Hove Albion’s Gaetan Bong.
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Television images showed the Belgian lashed out at Bong prior to United’s goal which consigned the visitors to a 1-0 defeat.
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Romelu Lukaku kicked Bong twice with the second one making contact. However, the striker was not penalised as the referee failed to spot the incident.
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If the governing body decided to take further action on the Belgian International, Lukaku would have been ruled out of three consecutive Premier League fixtures.
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Lukaku would have missed United’s clash with Watford and Arsenal in the coming week as well as Manchester derby next week.
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However according to news outlet The Independent, FA has ruled out any punishment for Romelu Lukaku after failing to reach an unanimous decision.
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3. Fantasy Trio Failed To Deliver
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Jose Mourinho did what the fans wanted fielding Rashford, Martial and Lukaku together as against Newcastle United.
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But Mourinho’s men suffered the same problems as in the 4-1 win over Newcastle who rocked the early stages of the match.
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United’s attacking trident struggled for the ball with the midfield failing to serve the ball to the forward line.
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Rashford had to take on defensive responsibilities in the early stages while Martial was marginalised on the left wing.
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Failing to make any impact on the game, Martial was withdrawn giving way to Mkhitaryan. Soon, Rashford limped off and Fellaini come on.
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United’s performance against Brighton was below par and was not expected by the supporters.
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Let’s be hopeful the Red Devils plays well against Watford in the next Premier League fixture.
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GGMU….!!!
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