Man United's Erik ten Hag era begins with a defeat

BEGINNINGS: Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag. Photo: Ian Hodgson/PA Wire.

The Erik ten Hag era, one game in, looks depressingly like the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Ralf Rangnick versions of a once-dominant elite football club fallen on hard times and still not certain where rock bottom is.

Manchester United, soundly beaten here despite a narrow scoreline and a summer of positive noises from the new manager and new boardroom structure, may not yet have bottomed out.

But, as they were booed off both at half-time and on the final whistle, ten Hag knows he had better start finding some solutions to a sobering experience which was every bit as bad as anything overseen by the two United managers who led the club to their worst ever Premier League campaign.

David Moyes, Ryan Giggs, Jose Mourinho, Solskjaer, Michael Carrick, Rangnick - all won their first games as United manager.

Of the eight post-Alex Ferguson bosses, full and part-time, only Louis van Gaal was on the receiving end of a defeat on their debut game, a list to which ten Hag has now added his name.

But more worrying than the result was a desultory first hour performance from the Reds in which players’ chronic lack of self-belief was as evident as at any stage last season.

“We dropped down in belief during the first half,” admitted ten Hag. “That can’t happen. Always believe in yourself and stick together as a team and always bring confidence on the pitch.

“I can understand that after last year but it is not necessary because they are good players. Self-belief is something from yourself; bring it on the pitch because they are still good players, they have proved so many times in the past.” 

With Cristiano Ronaldo starting the contest on the bench, despite the absence of the injured Anthony Martial, United’s lack of firepower was evident.

But it was defensive lapses that proved their undoing, as Brighton won at the famous stadium for the first time in 14 attempts in front of a rare visit from watching United owner Avram Grant.

The American, and his family, were the subject of a pre-match protest from supporters demanding their removal although, by half-time of ten Hag’s debut, fans’ anger was directed more at their players.

A summer of big talk and even bigger optimism was over by the interval, and a 2-0 Brighton lead that had supporters booing off ten Hag’s men.

Although, more accurately, it had taken all of 12 seconds for the honeymoon to end, when Diogo Dalot gifted the ball to Leandro Trossard who volleyed into the side-netting.

It was a warning that went unheeded and, on the half-hour, United conceded their first goal of the ten Hag era in shoddy fashion.

With gaping holes in the home defence, Trossard sent Danny Welbeck scurrying to the left-hand by-line and his low cross, missed by Adam Lallana in the middle of the net, was turned in at the far post by Gross.

The move had been prompted by Moises Caicedo winning the ball off Scott McTominay in midfield and Brighton’s Ecuador midfielder was, by some margin, the best player in the game.

Gross, meanwhile, had scored twice in 33 games for Brighton last season but was only going to require 39 minutes to match that tally against ten Hag.

And what a goal his second was, started with a back heel, near his own left-hand corner flag, by the excellent Trossard.

Caicedo it was who, predictably, powered forward, cutting through the home defence, before Gross and Lallana switched play to the right.

Solly March was on hand to shoot powerfully at David de Gea, who should have done better than parry the ball back into the area for Gross to convert into an open net.

And, although the start to the second half saw United a little more direct and urgent, it was no surprise when ten Hag threw on Ronaldo just seven minutes after the restart.

It took him just a further seven minutes to carve out an opening for Marcus Rashford who could only hit a shot straight at keeper Robert Sanchez, although the England star’s blushes were saved when he was flagged offside.

Sanchez was forced to save from Christian Eriksen, with Joel Veltman responding quickly to deny Ronaldo a tap in from the rebound.

But the resulting corner found Sanchez badly at fault as he attempted to punch clear, under pressure from Dalot and Harry Maguire.

The ball struck Dalot and appeared to be crossing the line before Sanchez desperately clawed it away, against Alexis Mac Allister and into his own goal.

It was a scrappy goal, subject to a lengthy VAR check, but one which energised Old Trafford and breathed life into United players for a short time.

But despite some further uncertain handling by Sanchez, and a triple substitution by ten Hag one minute from time, Brighton’s goal was not seriously threatened again.

Not that the Dutchman had any qualms about having not selected Ronaldo from the start.

“If a striker was available, I would have played him,” said ten Hag. “Cristiano Ronaldo is now 10 days of team training, that’s too short for 90 minutes. That’s the reason we didn’t start him.

“I think from day to day and from game to game and we have to win every game. It is definitely clear that we are not happy with this game but we have to take the lessons and move forward.”

Last night, it emerged that United are close to a deal that would bring Mark Arnautovic, 33, to Old Trafford as striker cover, in a £10 million transfer from Bologna, although the problems exposed yesterday run far deeper than could be solved by the signing of one additional squad player.