Manchester United captain Harry Maguire issues ‘nightmare’ verdict on Brighton loss

Manchester United’s 2-0 halftime deficit against Brighton in their Premier League opener at Old Trafford on Sunday was “not good enough,” according to Harry Maguire.

After making a promising start, United fell down on the half-hour mark, with old foe Pascal Gross tapping in from close range after connecting with Danny Welbeck’s low cross. United had barely recovered when Gross added a second, extending the Seagulls’ advantage nine minutes later.

It meant that United faced an uphill battle before even reaching half-time. They did get a goal back midway through the second half, thanks to an own-goal by Alexis Mac Allister, but it was not enough for Erik ten Hag to avoid defeat in his debut game in command.

The result was unsatisfactory for Maguire, who began at center-back alongside summer acquisition Lisandro Martinez, underscoring how he and his colleagues must improve moving ahead. He bemoaned their inability to maintain control, saying that they must perform better when in possession of the ball.

“So, I believe we made a good start to the game. We got off to a good start “Maguire stated to Sky Sports. “We were the team in control of the game, but we gave up the first goal, which set us back significantly.

“We then stopped playing. They had a lot of control over the game, so we need to look at how we can avoid allowing that first goal to throw us back as much as it did.

“But we need to be better on the ball – we gave the ball away too much in the first half, particularly after the first goal, and we encouraged them to push forward and attack us. Being 2-0 behind at halftime was a horrible start.”

The captain continued: “The outcome is unfortunate. Being 2-0 down at halftime at Old Trafford was the worst possible start. It is insufficient. We huffed and puffed till we got one. We had chances to equalize, but we got off to a poor start.”