Cristiano Ronaldo might be wearing a sardonic grin as Manchester United continues to struggle under Erik ten Hag’s leadership, suffering an unexpected 3-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Erik ten Hag has been grappling with a slew of off-field issues recently, and his team is not helping him on the pitch.
The Red Devils launched the game with vigor, displaying significant attacking intent. Nevertheless, in the 20th minute, Brighton seized the lead against the flow of the game, and Danny Welbeck returned to the Theatre of Dreams to haunt his former club. The seasoned striker elegantly concluded a fine move, giving the Seagulls a 1-0 advantage.
In the 34th minute, Manchester United attempted to strike back through Marcus Rashford, but his shot deflected off the post. Rasmus Hojlund believed he had put the hosts ahead eight minutes later in his first start for the club.
Yet, VAR stepped in and ruled that the ball had gone out of play when Rashford passed it to Hojlund. This was another VAR disappointment for United and their new forward, who had a similar experience in a 3-1 loss to Arsenal.
Brighton then stunned Old Trafford in the 53rd minute, extending their lead to 2-0 in sensational style. A clever combination on the left wing between Kaoru Mitoma and Tareq Lamptey resulted in the ball falling to Pascal Groß, who expertly positioned himself to beat Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana.
In the 64th minute, a chorus of boos echoed throughout the stadium when Ten Hag decided to substitute Hojlund for Anthony Martial. The boos turned to complete disbelief when Roberto De Zerbi’s team extended their lead further in the 71st minute.
Joao Pedro piled more misery on the Red Devils by slotting home a brilliant effort, courtesy of a clever pass from Lamptey. Fans began leaving Old Trafford, and the Theater of Dreams fell into stunned silence.
However, just two minutes later, Hannibal Mejbri provided a glimmer of hope for United when the second-half substitute unleashed a magnificent shot. He displayed more determination than many of his more experienced teammates.
This defeat proved costly for Ten Hag’s squad, as they have now suffered three losses in five matches. One rival fan cheekily commented on the situation, suggesting that the Red Devils’ manager would come up with excuses:
“If they lose, Ten Hag will cry again, saying that the ball didn’t cross the line and that they deserved at least a point against Arsenal. Players crying. Manager crying. Fans crying. Players’ relatives crying. It’s a Theater of Tears.”
Another fan believes that Ronaldo should receive an apology from Ten Hag:
“Ten Hag better apologize to Ronaldo as soon as possible!”
Here’s how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Manchester United’s shocking defeat.
If they lose Ten Hag will cry again saying that the ball didn’t go over the line and they deserved at least a point against Arsenal.
Players crying. Manager crying. Fans crying. Players relatives crying. It’s a Theatre of tears.
— WelBeast (@WelBeast) September 16, 2023
Ten Hag better apologize to Ronaldo as soon as possible!
— Honorable Speaker 🇬🇲 (@OmarChampion_) September 16, 2023
Cristiano Ronaldo
PortugalThis season he played in total 5 times for 446 minutes for Pro League.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 6 goals for Al Nassr. He procured 4 assists. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 5th in Pro League. In the last match Al Nassr won 3-1 against Al Raed. The next match in Pro League will be against Al Ahli Jeddah.
Al Nassr performance and stats
Al Nassr
Al Nassr is currently 5th in the Pro League with 12 points.
In the last 6 games, it has won 4 times and lost twice. In its last match, Al Nassr won 1-3 against Al Raed.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 19 goals and conceding 6.
Al Nassr will play the next match in Pro League against Al Ahli Jeddah on Wednesday 20th of September in Riyadh.
Manchester United performance and stats
Manchester United
Manchester United is currently 12th in the Premier League with 6 points.
In the last 5 games, it has won twice and lost 3 times. In its last match, Manchester United lost 1-3 against Brighton & Hove Albion.
It has a negative goal difference after scoring 6 goals and conceding 10.
Manchester United will play the next match in Premier League against Burnley on Saturday 23rd of September in Burnley.
