Working on a ‘precautionary’ (his word) bulletin of pressing football, the exact opposite appeared to be the case until a rally brought a farcical consolation, but it proved too little as it crept into the final 22 minutes. Brighton gave the Dutchman an uncompromising welcome to the Premier League. Leandro Trossard, Danny Welbeck and Pascal Gross starred in an impressive visit by Graham Potter’s men. At any time it looked like they would score, so Ten Haag and his men will have to be fired up for next weekend’s visit to Brentford before they host Liverpool in their next home game. Describing the task ahead as “one hell of a job”, Ten Haag succinctly summed up a decline that began nine years ago when Sir Alex Ferguson left. The 52-year-old’s side could have scored as early as the sixth minute. Jadon Sancho came inside and played the ball to Scott McTominay, who would be out all afternoon in his berth on the right wing. He found Bruno Fernandes but the Portuguese blazed over from a few yards out. Before that, 15 seconds later, Diogo Dalot had been upset, allowing Trossard to fly over. It hit the side-netting, but moments after Fernandes missed, the Brighton No.11 was gifted the ball in a similar area and once again United broke free. Prior to this opening, protests from United fans had caused the club shop to close as crowds thronged outside the big shop: this would have been noted by co-owner Avram Glazer who made a rare visit and watched from the filmmakers . box. For his Premier League starting line-up, Ten Haag solved the problem of Anthony Martial’s forced absence with a hamstring injury by picking Christian Eriksen in a false nine, but the ploy didn’t work. Given that Ten Hag had his charges to close from day one, the lax marking will have infuriated: a Brighton attack had Trossard running wild in a crowded area before slotting the ball towards Moase Caicedo with Lisandro Martinez , like Eriksen making his Premier League debut. United, half asleep. When, later on, Alexis Mac Allister unleashed a shot on goal, Eriksen pressed, but that opening came as Trossard was once again given space to cross. Erik ten Hag shows his frustration during Manchester United’s opening defeat. Photo: Peter Powell/EPA He was instrumental in a Brighton opener that also came from United’s leak. A McTominay wave was the first mistake as he crashed into a Brighton sandwich. From here the ball was passed by Trossard to the effervescent Welbeck and when he pounced on a cross Gross, unmarked, rolled in. . But then more desperation for the reds. From Brighton’s left, Trossard fed Caicedo. He shrugged off a passive Eriksen and the ball swept up into a line with Gross, Adam Lallana and Solly March. The latter shot at goal, David de Gea out and Gross, following in, doubled his tally and the lead, Fred the last United spectator. By the time the interval arrived, Ten Haag had certainly made cuts. If so, the Dutchman still had to watch McTominay get into another upset and Martinez miss Welbeck, whose header should have made it 3-0. The name missing from the starting line-up was Ronaldo’s. The manager said he had only played 45 minutes of last Sunday’s friendly with Rayo Vallecano and “10 days” of training was behind him, naming the striker as a substitute. Seven minutes into the second half, the manager turned to Fred, 15 years his junior, as Ronaldo moved into his favored No.9 position and Eriksen returned to act as a deep-lying striker. Martínez endured a bit of a shock and it would have been significant but for the mercy of Paul Tierney when the centre-back pushed Welbeck into the area. It looked a penalty but Martinez got away as the referee ruled no foul. Marcus Rashford, too, was poor in an unwelcome echo of last season.” A regulation check pushed the ball wide and he missed two golden opportunities from close range. The first had Ronaldo – wrongly – for offside, so VAR would have allowed it. There was a positive moment when United finally struck. A scramble to a corner had the ball hit Dalot – possibly on the arm – with Harry Maguire also involved and perhaps offside before it was cleared by McAllister: VAR ruled this fair and United had a lifeline. As the home crowd roared on their men, Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez palmed away a curling Dalot shot as, now, Brighton had to make a stop. When Donny van de Beek replaced McTominay, he passed a note, presumably from Ten Hag, to Maguire. Whatever he said didn’t work as Brighton, at the final whistle, were absolutely worth the win. For United this could be another big season.
