United’s defense, including recent signings Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt, and Leny Yoro, struggled, with De Ligt and Scott McTominay caught out by Simon Adingra’s cross leading to Pedro’s goal.
Ten Hag noted, "We conceded two soft goals and need to act better as a team. If we defend like this, we drop points." The defeat puts Ten Hag under pressure, with Liverpool visiting Old Trafford next weekend.
United had a narrow 1-0 win over Fulham to start the season but have shown little improvement from their poor 2023/24 campaign. Brighton, fresh from a 3-0 win over Everton, showed they could contend for European spots next season.
Brighton took the lead in the 32nd minute when Harry Maguire missed a cross, allowing Welbeck to score. United thought they had equalized with a Marcus Rashford goal, but it was disallowed for offside.
Brighton dominated after the break, with James Milner's effort cleared off the line and Welbeck’s header hitting the bar. Diallo finally equalized with a deflected shot, but a VAR review ruled out a potential second goal for United due to an offside by Joshua Zirkzee.
Pedro's decisive goal came when he found space to head the ball past Andre Onana, completing a dramatic victory for Brighton.
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