Brighton & Hove Albion have defeated Manchester United 7-1 on aggregate across the last four meetings between the two sides.
Around 25 years ago, Brighton were on the brink of oblivion and facing relegation from the Football League, while at the same time in Manchester, Sir Alex Ferguson had built a formidable team at Old Trafford that was dominating English football.
“People go to Brighton for various reasons,” the great Brian Clough once wrote in his autobiography. “For a holiday, for a day trip, for a place to retire, for a Tory Party conference. With all due respect to the club and its fans, you don’t go there for the football.”
ALSO READ:’Ten Hag is perfect for Hojlund… he will score goals for United’
Clough said Brighton were not a ‘big-time club’ and they were ‘never likely’ to be, but with Roberto De Zerbi in charge, someone who built on the foundations that Graham Potter installed, the Seagulls are now playing European football.
Although Brighton are not still considered a ‘big club’ by any stretch, they punch above their weight and they deserve their place in the Europa League this season following an excellent campaign in which they finished sixth.
Brighton did a league double over United for the first time in history last term. They won 2-0 at Old Trafford on the opening day of the 2022/23 season and they won 1-0 at the Amex in May with a 99th-minute penalty winner.
That opening day felt disastrous at the time, but with the benefit of hindsight, it was always likely to happen. The team was at an embryonic stage and the starting line-up would look completely different on the final day of the season.
Harry Maguire, Fred and Scott McTominay started the game, while Christian Eriksen played as a false nine with Jadon Sancho on the right wing, which is without mentioning Brighton’s subsequent success in the league for context.
Brighton were good value for their win at Old Trafford, but their victory in the reverse fixture felt cruel, as Luke Shaw conceded a penalty deep into added time with a handball which gave the three points to the home side.
That kind of performance, United being punished for not taking their chances, was too familiar last season and Erik ten Hag’s post-match comments are worth revisiting ahead of the two sides meeting again next weekend.
“In the end, we lost a little bit of control, our midfield was too open, then we conceded some free-kicks, some counter-attacks and a corner. I think in the first minute that we created a great chance, but we didn’t score,” said Ten Hag.
“So we have to be more clinical with our chances we produce in the first half and then in the attack, we concede then and we give away a big chance. And also in the end, we gave away a goal and that can’t happen, must not happen.
“It may be a little bit [of a lack of] focus, but we were also a bit unlucky because it was never a free-kick where the corner is coming from. So yeah, and then you can’t bounce back anymore. But that is what we have to do on Sunday.
“We had clear chances with Antony, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Casemiro. They all create opportunities and one has to be in. I don’t have concerns. It’s about keeping the focus and we shouldn’t lose the focus in the final and dying seconds of the game.”
United were wasteful last season and it’s hoped the signing of Rasmus Hojlund will help address that issue. Hojlund made a promising debut against Arsenal and it will be fascinating to see whether he starts when Brighton visit Old Trafford.
Brighton are heading into the game on the back of an emphatic 3-0 win against Newcastle and they will look to expose the same weaknesses in Ten Hag’s side as they did last season, particularly in the midfield area.
Along with wasting chances against Brighton at the Amex last term, Ten Hag said the ‘midfield was too open’ and that’s an area the Dutchman is still trying to get right this season after the signing of Mason Mount from Chelsea.
The midfield looked unbalanced when Mount started the first two league games and although he’s currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, there’s an outside chance he returns for the Brighton match on Saturday.
The midfield has improved with Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro and Christian Eriksen playing together again since Mount picked up an injury, but Soyfan Amrabat has been signed and he’s in contention to play against Brighton.
Brighton have a unique tactical system and it’s important United’s midfield is at its best next weekend. There might be a temptation to play Mount if he’s fit or give Amrabat his debut but perhaps sticking with the trio from Arsenal would be best.
United need three points because their recent record against Brighton is awful.
