Three things Ralf Rangnick got wrong and one he got right as Man Utd poor in Brighton win
Cristiano Ronaldo saved Ralf Rangnick’s blushes by helping to cover over another mediocre effort as Manchester United beat Brighton 2-0.
United had David de Gea to thank for denying Jakub Moder on the verge of half-time, ensuring the hosts went in level – despite being booed off by their own fans.
However, Ronaldo scored only six minutes after the break, before Adam Webster was given his marching orders, handing United control.
Bruno Fernandes added a second late in the game to seal the victory.
After poor losses against Burnley and Southampton in the previous week, United moved up to fourth in the league and maintains their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League alive.
The Daily Star Sport examines the big calls Rangnick got wrong and one he got right…
Brighton completely dominated the opening period at Old Trafford and could have been ahead at halftime.
However, United made things far too simple for them.
United appeared content to sit back and allow their guests all the time in the world to play.
United’s play had no speed, and they gave far too much respect to Brighton, who were allowed far too much space to play their game.
They completely dominated United before the interval, and they only have themselves to blame for failing to take anything away from the game.
United may have taken the points, but Brighton appeared to be the only team on the field with a well-coordinated game plan.
Fred is unimpressive.
Fred, who was in charge of United’s publicity, had another disappointing night.
However, the Brazilian midfielder was absolutely inconsistent both on and off the ball against the Seagulls.
Brighton’s impressive, unified press only served to make Fred’s efforts look increasingly silly as the night progressed.
United failed to complete a single tackle in the first half, leaving the duo of Fred and Scott McTominay dreadfully exposed.
The 28-year-night old’s was summed up when United fans applauded the move to replace him with Paul Pogba late in the day.
Leaving Pogba out
Pogba was one of the only United players to emerge with any credit from their recent meetings with Burnley and Southampton.
Rangnick is plainly cautious with the Frenchman after his lengthy absence, but United desperately needed Pogba on Tuesday night.
You could argue that the game against Brighton was United’s most difficult on paper in the previous week, which begs the question of why Rangnick didn’t contain Pogba against Burnley or Southampton.
The 28-year-old can be divisive at times, but his presence was severely missed against Brighton, who dominated the midfield fight all night.
And one thing he did correctly…
Maintaining faith in Ronaldo
Rangnick could have easily fired Ronaldo given the veteran’s dismal run of form.
But the German innovator stuck by United’s talisman, and he was rewarded with a superb performance.
Ronaldo was at the heart of everything excellent about Manchester United’s performance, and he was in the right place at the right time to give United the perfect start to the second half.
Ronaldo has now scored 15 goals this season, but his strike against the Seagulls was possibly his most meaningful.
After finally ending his six-game goal drought, the onus will now be on Ronaldo to get back among the goals on a regular basis.
