Did Manchester United make the right decision to send off David de Gea?
United lost 1-3 to Brighton in the fifth round of the 2023-24 Premier League (PL) at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, at 11 p.m. ET on Saturday. The loss is United’s second straight and leaves them in 13th place in the standings with a record of 2-3-3 (6 points).
In the first half, United dominated the attack and had several shots on goal, but were unable to capitalize due to a combination of goalkeeping and goalkeeping decisions. Instead, Brighton had the first laugh. They took the lead in the 20th minute when Welbeck headed home an Adingra cross from the right flank.카지노
United had to swallow their disappointment. In the 40th minute, Rashford’s cutback was latched onto by Hooper, who produced a calm finish. However, a video assistant referee (VAR) review ruled that Rashford had crossed the goal line just before sending the pass. The goal was disallowed. The first half ended with Brighton leading 1-0.
Brighton added a goal early in the second half. Eight minutes into the second half, Lampardy’s pass found Gross inside the penalty box and he fired a shot that rattled the net. United had fallen behind. In the 27th minute, another Lampard cross, this time from the ground, was headed home by João Pedro to make it a three-goal game.
United pulled one back. In the 29th minute, Hannibal Mebry scored on a surprise mid-range shot from the right side of the arc. However, United were unable to turn the game around. In the end, they fell to Brighton 1-3 at home.
It was the second straight loss. United also lost 1-3 to Arsenal in the fourth round of the PL on April 4. United also lost to Tottenham Hotspur, making it three losses already this season. “For the first time in their history, United have lost three games in their opening five,” according to soccer statistics outlet Opta.
After conceding another three goals, United have now conceded 10 goals in five league games. Naturally, there are doubts about Onana’s ability in goal. Last season, United kept 17 clean sheets with De Gea in goal. He was also the winner of the PL Golden Glove in the 2022-23 season. However, manager Eric ten Hagh chose to part ways with De Gea, citing a lackluster buildup.
Mark Goldbridge, host of the UK’s Talk Sport, expressed his disappointment with the decision to drop De Gea. “I really like Onana, but it was a mistake,” he said on Sunday. Too many people wrote him off last season as a problem in the team. He was not a problem for the team. De Gea kept 17 clean sheets last season. We only conceded nine goals at home last season,” he defended.
He then pointed out the current situation. “United have conceded 10 goals in five games,” Goldbridge said. They’re averaging two goals a game. We’ve already conceded five goals at home. We didn’t need to take De Gea off. His saves were effective. De Gea can’t be involved in the buildup at the back, but he has hardly conceded a goal. Did we need to substitute the Golden Glove winner?” he questioned.
“I think Ten Haag replaced him too early. They saw De Gea was out of contract and let him go, but they spent £45 million on him. It’s really stupid. The United defense doesn’t look as solid as it did last year,” he added.
“What did they bring in a ball-playing goalkeeper for. Now United pass backwards too often because Onana is so good on the ball. With De Gea, they didn’t want to pass, so they sent it forward. The team is scattered all over the place. It’s like a new team. Everything we built last season seems to have disappeared.”