Manchester United’s problems continued to grow after Brighton secured a place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win at Old Trafford.
Goals from Brajan Gruda (12) and Danny Welbeck (64) handed United defeat in what was likely to be caretaker manager Darren Fletcher’s final game before his appointment for the remainder of the season, with Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Michael Carrick the favorites to take the post.
United were given a late lifeline by Benjamin Sesco (85) after defeat to Brighton, before Shay Lacey was shown a red card (89) for two immediate warnings, but United lost both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup at the first checkpoint of the competition for the first time since 1981/82, leaving their focus solely on the Premier League as they look to qualify for Europe.
Booing erupted at the final whistle and there was near silence as Man United supporters and players were stunned by another lackluster performance. The defeat means United will only play 40 games this season, their lowest since 2014-15, when they played 44, but Fletcher said fans had a right to express their displeasure.
“There were no more cup games and we could only play Premier League games. The fans weren’t happy at the end, but they have the right to vent their frustrations,” United’s caretaker manager told TNT Sports. “It wasn’t harmful, but they showed disappointment. If the payers respond correctly, the fans will support them as always, because there’s still a lot to play for in the Premier League this season.”
Mateus Cunha’s reaction to the decision against him
Whoever takes over will have to deal with a host of problems at Old Trafford, where banners criticizing Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s management of the club have been hung. United fans also chanted “We want the Glazers out”.
Things aren’t going to get any easier for United, who sacked manager Ruben Amorim last Monday after 14 months in charge, and are now without a win in four competitive games, with a game against Man City at the weekend and a trip to Arsenal on the horizon.
Meanwhile, Brighton’s recent impressive run continues against United. Fabian Hürzeler’s side defeated United for the first time in the FA Cup. They currently have seven wins in nine games against United and four wins in five visits to Old Trafford.
How Brighton achieved their first FA Cup win against United…
Brajan Gruda celebrates after giving Brighton the lead at Old Trafford
Fletcher was given a warm welcome at Old Trafford as he emerged from the tunnel and the team got off to a strong start, with Jason Steele’s early save denying Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes keeping Brighton in the final.
Brighton had lost their last six FA Cup meetings to United, but Gruda was quickest to react after Georginio Rutter’s header was cleared on the line and he was sent off on his way to ending the misbehavior.
Fletcher tried to rouse the crowd on his return, but a disappointingly slow start to the second period left few cheering. Lacey and Joshua Zirkzee were introduced to try to turn the tide, but Brighton extended their lead soon after.
In the 65th minute, Welbeck received a pass from Gruda, took a quick touch and fired a shot into the top left corner.
“Attack, attack, attack” was the message from a United fan, urging the team to get back into the game. Benjamin Sesco gave the Reds hope when he headed in Fernandes’ corner, but United’s game worsened when a late equalizer was evaded and 18-year-old Lacey received two yellows in a row, the second contested and the second contested.
Fletcher: ‘United players are fragile’
Manchester United’s interim head coach Darren Fletcher has told TNT Sports that he has no confidence whatsoever in the quad.
“You can see that the players are vulnerable and need to push themselves. It’s up to them now and they have to respond.”
“Confidence is one of the most powerful things in football and when you don’t have confidence you have to dig deep, win, fight, fight, strive, strive and win the game and the confidence will come back.
“They are experienced players, they are talented players and I would encourage them to get back together. Someone will come in and lead them and they need to be able to play a lot going into this season.”
“This team is good enough to be successful again this season, but we have to dig deeper and find a way within ourselves.”
Last game? “This is what was asked of me, so we haven’t had any further discussions. I worked this week and I have to focus on the game. All discussions regarding that will be revealed in the coming days.”
Dalot: “Man United deserved to win”
Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot told TNT Sports about the FA Cup defeat.
“Honestly, we did enough to win the game.
“Then we got a red card and in the last minute we were at a disadvantage because we were ahead of Brighton.
“Overall, it’s very disappointing because we wanted to get through. All the players were trying to find space, but like I said, it was really disappointing because I thought we deserved to win.”
Regarding the situation since the change in management, he added, “It’s really difficult. It’s a time when we always have to find ways to quickly solve problems.”
“We have to adapt and move on again.”
When is the draw for the FA Cup 4th round?
Brighton will now turn their attention to the draw for Monday’s FA Cup fourth round tie.
The draw will take place at Anfield ahead of the final third round match between Liverpool and Barnsley.
It is scheduled to start around 6:30 p.m.
