'Fragile' Manchester United face more pain after Welbeck returns to haunt them
Darren Fletcher charitably described Manchester United's defeat to Brighton as a "mixed performance". Pic: Martin Rickett/PA Wire.
MANCHESTER United will have to wait to add to their 13 FA Cups but there was nothing unlucky about this tame surrender as they continue to set records for all the wrong reasons.
Before the boos rang out from the stands, the initial silence that met the final whistle at Old Trafford, and with it an exit at this stage for only the third time in 40 years, more than hinted at the uncomfortable realisation among supporters that the season is effectively over.
Forget any talk of fixture pile-ups for the remainder of the campaign. After going out at the earliest opportunity in both domestic cup competitions for the first time since 1982, the club will play its fewest number of games in a season for 111 years, a far from taxing 40.
The next two of those are against Manchester City and Arsenal so for a managerless, rudderless side, expect more short-term pain with little sign of long-term gain.
"It was a mixed performance," Darren Fletcher reflected, rather charitably, after his second and probably final game in interim charge following the sacking of Ruben Amorim.
Benjamin Sesko's late header from a Bruno Fernandes corner proved too little, too late and Fletcher added: "The players are fragile and need to build themselves up. It's up to them because they have to respond. Confidence is one of the most powerful things in football and if you don't have it then you have to dig deep, battle, grind, fight and work and win games for the confidence to come back."
The majority of the United players on show on Sunday look to be lacking most of those basic prerequisites, a fact those supporters who bothered to stay until the end no doubt reminded them of with a heated send-off in contrast to the plummeting temperatures.
Fletcher added: "The fans weren't happy at the end and they've got every right to air their grievances. I don't think it was toxic by any stretch of the imagination. There's still a lot to play for in the Premier League this season."
Brighton could afford to make six changes and field a new centre-back pairing in recording their first ever FA Cup victory over these opponents at the seventh attempt. Fabian Hurzeler insisted his industrious side always carry a belief that they can compete with the 'best' teams, but the head coach was being overly generous in the extreme to include the vanquished hosts in such esteemed company.
Defeat for United was delivered by one of their own. Danny Welbeck, a former team mate of Fletcher, provided the first-half cross eventually thumped home from close range by Brajan Gruda, before an unerring left-foot finish into the top corner for his ninth goal of the season after the impressive German midfielder returned the favour with an inviting through ball just after the hour.
Asked about the secret to his longevity, 35-year-old Welbeck joked: "I can't really give that away. If I say too much, the drug testers will come after me! No, I'm good, I'm clean.
"I think I've been blessed with good genes from my mum and dad and it's down to a lot of hard work and looking after myself."
To continue the theme, if United are on drugs, it must be tranquilisers as they somnambulated their way to a deserved defeat.
That accusation at least can't be levelled at substitute Shea Lacey, but the 18-year-old winger went too far in the opposite direction, earning a second yellow card for petulantly throwing the ball away a minute from time.
"He cares and he'll learn," was Fletcher's defence of the youngster, the first teenager to be sent off for United since 19-year-old Luke Shaw against West Ham in 2015.
Brighton could well be one to avoid in Monday's fourth round draw, and after a fourth victory on the last five visits to the Theatre of Dreams, Hurzeler added: "It's nice to get a result like this for the fans.
"This is the second time they've come here to back us in a couple of months and it's not the closest of places for us so I'm happy for them to be rewarded for spending a lot of time and money to support us.
"We always have the belief that we can compete with the best teams. You need to have that if you want to achieve something. We are a club with ambition." At the present moment, Manchester United look anything but.
Lammens 5; Diogo Dalot 5, Yoro 5, Martinez 6 (Maguire 79, 5), Dorgu 5; Ugarte 4 (Casemiro 79, 5), Mainoo 6 (Zirkzee 62, 5); Mount 3 (Lacey 62, 2), Bruno Fernandes 6, Matheus Cunha 5; Sesko 6. Sent off: Lacey.Â
Mainoo, Maguire.
Steele 7; Veltman 7 (Ayari 78, 6), Coppola 7, Boscagli 7, Kadioglu 8; Hinshelwood 7, Gross 8; Gruda 8 (Watson 90, 6), Rutter 6 (Kostoulas 83, 5), Gomez 6 (van Hecke 78, 6); Welbeck 8 (Mitoma 78, 6).Â
KostoulasÂ
Simon Hooper
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