Osamagbe Imadiyi
The day Old Trafford paid a somber homage to legendary striker Denis Law, Manchester United suffered a crushing 3-1 loss to Brighton as Ruben Amorim’s troubles grew. Amorim’s team wanted to honor Law’s passing at the age of 84 by putting on the kind of thrilling performance that characterized the United star’s squads. Instead, they lost for the sixth time in 11 league games since Amorim replaced the fired Erik ten Hag after joining from Sporting Lisbon. Despite being ten points above the relegation zone, United is currently in 13th place and is unlikely to escape being forced into the survival battle as a result of this appalling performance.
The tone for United’s sluggish performance was established by Yankuba Minteh’s early Brighton opener. United was in disarray after Kaoru Mitoma and Georginio Rutter scored goals in the second half after Bruno Fernandes had equalized with a penalty before halftime.
Brighton has exposed Amorim’s team’s flimsy defense and clumsy goalkeeper Andre Onana, which has caused them to lose 12 games across all competitions.
Following Law’s death on Friday, United had an emotional day, and the outcome was disheartening.
With 237 goals in 404 games, Law, who was diagnosed with vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in 2021, is United’s third-leading scorer.
Mitoma raced clear behind the flat-footed United defense after Carlos Baleba’s long pass, and the Japan winger squared to give Minteh a tap-in. After Baleba’s tug on Joshua Zirkzee resulted in a penalty that Fernandes converted for his eighth goal of the season, United pulled even in the 23rd minute.
However, Brighton only had to wait a few seconds for Mitoma’s goal in the 60th minute to put them ahead again. As United’s defense was in disarray, Mitoma stretched to poke in from close range after Minteh crossed to the far post.
In the 76th minute, Amorim’s team was once again beset by the weaknesses of United goalkeeper Andre Onana. As irate United supporters made their way to the exits, the mistake-prone Onana dropped a routine cross at Rutter’s feet, and the French forward joyfully slotted home.
