Erik Ten Hag’s debut as Manchester United manager in the Premier League turned out to be a disappointment. The coach, who has succeeded with Ajax in recent seasons, fell with his new team in the second leg against Brighton and Hove Albion (1-2).
Ten Hag saw United created few chances and, especially before the break, defended poorly. The 6th seed in the Premier League last season faced a 2-0 downfall after 39 minutes. Pascal Gross took advantage of the space he got twice. Lisandro Martinez, who came from Ajax for a maximum of 67 million euros, was a fixture. The Argentine has yet to form a duo with Harry Maguire. Christian Eriksen also appeared in the first match of the home team.
Ten Hag did not leave a place for Cristiano Ronaldo in his starting lineup. It is believed that the Portuguese star is not yet fit enough. Ronaldo came in the 53rd minute, and after 15 minutes Alexis McAllister saw Brighton midfielder kick the ball into his team’s goal.
With substitute Donny van de Beek in the squad, United searched unsuccessfully for a second target. Ten Hag allowed Tyrell Malacia, who came from Feyenoord, to debut at the last minute of normal time. Joël Veltman played the entire match for the visitors from Brighton.
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