New dawn, old problems: Man Utd lose at home in Premier League opener

Erik Ten Hag suffered a home defeat on his debut as Manchester United manager

Graham Potter has continued his moulding this season as Brighton and Hove Albion defeated Manchester United 2-1 at the Old Trafford.

A buzzing Man Utd faithful were at the Theatre of Dreams to witness a new dawn but the Seagulls had more of the theatrics and accuracy in display.

Brighton took initiative early on in the game with Leandro Trossard looking particularly exciting.

The Manchester United midfield duo of Fred and McTominay struggled to impose their influence on the game and it was Brighton who fired the first salvo in the 30th minute.

The Old Trafford crowd were left stunned by the goal and it had all the makings of their old defensive struggles.

Nine minutes after German Pascal Gross had given Brighton the lead, he scored a second on the first day of the season.

Man Utd improved in the second half as Ten Hag rang changes including the introduction of wantaway Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese star’s introduction failed to give the Red Devils the spark they desired.

Alexandre McAllister scored an own goal just after the hour mark to give Man Utd some hope about the game but Brighton kept a low block and shut them out for the rest of the game.

No Cucurella, No Bissouma, No problem

Marc Cucurella and Yves Bissouma were significant to Potter’s approach and methods last season and both players have left this summer in big money moves to Chelsea and Tottenham respectively.

Against Man Utd, they didn’t miss any of the players as they matched their hosts for long spells of the game.