‘ I am disappointed’ – Diogo Dalot explains what went wrong for Manchester United in defeat to Brighton
In Erik ten Hag’s first game as manager of Manchester United, the club was defeated by Brighton.
Diogo Dalot believes Manchester United were not forceful enough in repelling Brighton’s attacks during their opening weekend setback.
Erik ten Hag’s reign as manager couldn’t have started any worse as they were defeated 2-1 by Brighton at Old Trafford. Dalot’s miss-control in the opening seconds set the tone for what would be a shaky and disjointed first 45 minutes, a long cry from the improvement observed throughout pre-season.
The Seagulls scored twice in quick succession to go two up before the break, with playmaker Pascal Gross scoring both times. United equalized in the second half when a scrappy corner bounced off Dalot and then Alexis Mac Allister before going in as an own goal.
But it wasn’t enough, as United struggled to produce any clear-cut chances for the rest of the game, as Brighton dominated. Dalot has revealed what went wrong. He stated to MUTV: “I believe we should slow down the counterattacks a little more.
“We let them play freely a few times, and they played in the back. With a little more aggression, we could put a stop to their counterattacks. We fared better in the second half, as I mentioned, we held more of the ball, we had a couple more chances, but not enough. We need to evaluate what we did well and where we fell short in order to improve for the next game.”
The full-back believes that the awful first 45 minutes were also significant in the outcome: “Disappointing, I believe everyone felt that today was a letdown since we had a terrible first 45 minutes.
“We improved slightly in the second half, but not enough to win a game like this; we knew it would be difficult. Disappointment, but we must keep our heads up and prepare for the next game.”
