Man United fell to a 2-1 defeat at home to Brighton in their league opener

Erik Ten Hag’s Man Utd career began with a home match against Brighton, ushering in yet another new era for the club. After a respectable start, Brighton improved and their unconventional formation began to pay off.

The appointment of Erik ten Hag as United’s manager got off to the worst possible start when Brighton capitalized on a weakness. Within 15 seconds of the game’s beginning, Leandro Trossard volleyed into the side-netting, and until it was far too late, United failed to exert any kind of dominance.

Despite Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez making strong debuts, there was no coordination on the field.

Graham Potter’s squad, who defeated United 4-0 at the Amex Stadium in May en route to their highest-ever finish in the top tier, ninth place, completely outplayed them in that first half.

Brighton did threaten a comeback, however, when Alexis Mac Allister put the ball in his own net after goalkeeper Robert Sanchez had touched it into his path while under pressure from Harry Maguire during a scramble inside the visitors’ box.

However, not even the second-half introduction of Cristiano Ronaldo could stop Brighton.This result was significant because Brighton had only secured one draw in their previous nine league visits.

Ten Hag had to start his tenure as United manager off similarly to fellow Dutchman Louis van Gaal, who in 2014 lost his opening game to Swansea at home by the identical score.

Erik ten Hag’s tenure as Manchester United boss got off to a losing start as Brighton held off a late onslaught to earn their first victory at Old Trafford.