In a result that shocked absolutely no one, an out-of-form Brighton & Hove Albion cruised to a 3-1 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. The lopsided defeat laid bare the deep structural issues plaguing the once-mighty club under beleaguered manager Ruben Amorim.
United’s Unsurprising Capitulation
For anyone who watched United’s labored win over last-place Southampton earlier in the week, Brighton’s dominance came as no surprise. The Seagulls arrived having won just once in their last nine league matches. But instead of looking lost, they strolled to an easy three points that could have been even more.
We are the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United. We need to survive now.
– Ruben Amorim, Manchester United manager
Systemic Failures Exposed
Brighton hardly needed to break a sweat in exposing United’s glaring weaknesses. A comedy of errors, punctuated by goalkeeper André Onana’s howler on the third goal, gifted the visitors a result their listless performance scarcely deserved. United mustered a mere single shot on target – Bruno Fernandes’ first-half penalty – for the first time in nine years at Old Trafford.
- United suffer their 6th home Premier League defeat this season
- Amorim has lost 7 of his first 15 matches in charge
- United sit 13th, just 5 spots and 10 points above relegation
The problems run far deeper than Amorim. Brighton have now won their last three visits to the Theatre of Dreams under three different managers. Amorim inherited a broken team lacking cohesion, confidence, and direction. But he has thus far proven incapable of arresting the alarming slide.
Focused on Survival
As embarrassing records continue to tumble, Amorim admitted United are now focused purely on Premier League survival. Their upcoming fixture list, packed with bottom-half opposition, presents an opportunity to stop the rot. But based on current form, even those winnable matches look fraught with peril for the rudderless Red Devils.
While Old Trafford paid tribute to legendary striker Denis Law pre-match, the inept display that followed showed just how far United have fallen since their glory days. Wholesale changes are needed from top to bottom to salvage the season and restore the club’s tattered reputation. The question is whether Amorim will be given the chance to lead that monumental rebuilding job.
