Man Utd end disappointing campaign with win at Brighton

• Man Utd ended a disappointing 2023-24 campaign with victory at Brighton & Hove Albion
• The Red Devils have finished the season eighth, which is their lowest top-flight finish since the 1989-90 campaign

Erik ten Hag’s Man Utd ended a disappointing 2023-24 campaign with victory at Brighton & Hove Albion. Second half goals from Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Hojlund ensured the Red Devils walked away with a victory to talk about in their worst season ever.

Manchester United have finished the season eighth, which is their lowest top-flight finish since the 1989-90 campaign. They missed out on European football but will have the chance to qualify for Europa League if they beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final this coming weekend.

Diogo Dalot celebrates after opening the scoring for Man Utd. Photo/ Sky Sports.

In order to directly qualify for the Europa League from the standings, Manchester United needed to beat Brighton and hope that Newcastle United succumb to defeat against Brighton. While they did hold up their end o the bargain, Newcastle proved too powerful for Brentford securing a 4-2 win and consolidating the final European spot.

How Man Utd Beat Brighton

Brighton have proven to be a tough opponent for Manchester United over the past few seasons. This means that collecting three points on the south coast was going to be a difficult task for ten Hag and his men considering they have been far from the level they were last season.

As expected, Brighton showed dominance right from kick-off and created several chances throughout the game. United struggled to deal with the Seagulls’s intricate passing and were pinned to their own half for most part of the game at Amex Stadium.

Valentin Barco almost gave the hosts the lead early on but Andre Onana made a fantastic save to keep United in this game. But Brighton didn’t stop there. Roberto De Zerbi’s side kept coming but looked accuracy in front of goal, with Joao Pedro and Adam Lallana failing to find the target from promising positions.

The only highlight of United’s attack in the first half was Alejandro Garnacho threatening to score but a well timed tackle by Jason Steele ensured his effort bore no fruits.

With the action resuming in the second period, everyone assumed that Brighton were going to score first. The home fans actually thought the lead they had been waiting for had finally arrived five minutes after the interval when Joao Pedro was teed up by Moder. However, the Brazilian’s effort was cleared off the line brilliantly by Casemiro.

Casemiro would then set up Dalot for the first goal of the match in the 73rd minute. The goal brought relief among the travelling fans and United did well defensively to avoid conceding. Substitute Hojlund then wrapped up the match with a well taken strike in the 88th minute.

Brighton Bid Farewell To De Zerbi

Brighton outgoing manager Roberto De Zerbi was given a standing ovation before the start of the match. Even though the Seagulls failed to win against Man Utd, fans were chanting his name throughout the match.

The Italian manager led Brighton to their highest top-flight finish last season, sixth place, hence playing European football for the first time in their history. The announcement of his exit was announced on Saturday and it came as a surprise to many.

Roberto De Zerbi. Photo/ Football365.

Even though Brighton have finished eleventh this campaign, fans repeatedly chanted “we want you to stay”. De Zerbi did speak about his exit in the post match interview.

“We didn’t find the right agreement to move on and stay together, but nothing changes for me. I know very well what I want in my life, what I want from football. Football is my life and I can’t change my passion, my target, my style of life.” Sky Sports quotes De Zerbi.

The Amex Stadium also bid farewell to Adam Lallana who played his last match for Brighton on Sunday. The 36-year-old received a standing ovation when he was substituted in the 57th minute.