Joao Pedro waited. Brighton’s Brazilian striker had managed to elude the attention of nine Manchester United defenders inside his own penalty area.
All eyes were on Simon Adingra, who had the ball at his feet on the other side of the area.
Diogo Dalot strayed wide and Adingra cut inside before curling a cross in off the far post.
Now it was Pedro’s turn and the forward, still unnoticed and lurking for miles around, headed home with power to send the Amex Stadium into a frenzy and condemn United to another damaging away defeat.
Despite the optimism of a new season and some promising signs in their display, Erik ten Hag’s men were hampered by all-too-familiar problems as they fell 2-1 to the Seagulls on Saturday lunchtime.
Joao Pedro’s 95th-minute goal condemned Manchester United to a 2-1 defeat at Brighton on Saturday
Pedro’s goal came when United somehow failed to catch the Brighton striker at the far post.
United’s defensive weaknesses were exposed again as they suffered another damaging defeat
The good vibes that followed Joshua Zirkzee’s debut goal against Fulham on opening weekend quickly evaporated as the Red Devils lost for the fifth time in six Premier League games against Brighton.
An extremely damning screenshot of United’s failure to pick out Pedro circulated on social media after the game, with all nine players staring at Adingra, but no one had the foresight or awareness to notice the dangerous position the goalscorer found himself in.
To make matters worse, Julio Enciso was queuing behind the Brazilian as if they were both waiting for a bus.
That defensive disaster came after Harry Maguire failed to intercept Pedro’s cross in the first half, with the move eventually resulting in Danny Welbeck finishing unmarked inside the six-yard box for Brighton’s opener.
In truth, Saturday’s game on the south coast was just the latest example of United’s troubled defensive woes over the past 12 months.
In Ten Hag’s debut season in 2022-23, David De Gea scooped the Golden Glove in what turned out to be the Spaniard’s final campaign at Old Trafford after keeping 17 clean sheets.
United conceded just 43 goals, a record only bettered by Newcastle United and champions Manchester City.
However, something changed last season. Whether it was the loss of De Gea and the arrival of André Onana, which destabilised the defence, the plethora of injuries at the back or Casemiro’s deteriorating form in midfield, Ten Hag’s side were left exposed time and again.
United finished eighth, their worst position in the Premier League era, but more worrying was their negative goal difference after conceding 58 goals, seven more than 15th-placed Everton.
Harry Maguire was responsible for Brighton’s first goal by failing to intercept Pedro’s cross.
Erik ten Hag can’t seem to shake off his team’s problematic defensive issues at the moment.
No team has allowed more shots on goal from their opponents since the start of last season.
The defeat to Brighton meant Onana became the first United goalkeeper to concede 60 goals in 40 Premier League games or fewer.
Pedro’s goal was also the sixth stoppage-time winner United have conceded under Ten Hag, compared to two in their entire Premier League history before he took charge.
The winner also condemned United to their 17th Premier League away defeat under Ten Hag, with the Red Devils having won just 16 away games since the Dutchman took charge in 2022.
There are several mitigating factors to United’s struggling defence, most notably last season’s heavy injury list.
In total, United players missed a total of 202 games due to fitness problems, with the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia missing significant parts of the season.
Injuries to Shaw and Malacia have been hugely problematic, with United forced to play much of the last 12 months without a dedicated left-back.
While Dalot has performed admirably at times, other stop-gap options such as Sofyan Amrabat and Victor Lindelof have struggled, naturally unbalancing United’s defence.
The midfield has also been shaky at times, as despite the impressive impact Kobbie Mainoo had in his breakout season, the Englishman is still very inexperienced at 19.
The performances of team-mate Casemiro are a cause for concern, while the likes of Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay have failed to provide the defensive attack needed to help United resolve their problems.
The base of midfield remains a hugely problematic position and while United have been heavily linked with PSG’s Manuel Ugarte, there is still plenty of work to be done – and the Uruguayan has yet to prove his worth at the highest level.
Andre Onana has become the first United goalkeeper to concede 60 goals in 40 games or less
Casemiro’s form has also deteriorated dramatically over the past 12 months.
Ongoing injury problems for Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia mean United have had to play without a recognised left-back for most of the past 12 months.
These defensive struggles have been highlighted by some damning statistics since the start of the 2023-24 campaign.
For example, United have conceded the most shots (691) of any team in the top flight, including last season’s relegated trio of Sheffield United (678), Luton (660) and Burnley (615).
Meanwhile, despite Onana having conceded 60 goals in 40 Premier League games, he has actually surpassed United’s xG of 72.6, a record that is the fourth-worst in the top-flight.
United’s success in duels, at 48.8 per cent, is 16th best, while the 1,327 touches opponents have had in United’s box is the third-highest number of any Premier League team.
Ten Hag’s side have also conceded 95 big chances, more than double Arsenal’s total of 46.
There is hope that things will improve this time around, particularly after the £60m double signing of Bayern Munich duo Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, along with Lenny Yoro’s £52m move to Old Trafford from Lille.
However, while injuries are clearly a mitigating factor in United’s defensive problems, the fact they have lasted so long means Ten Hag must address them sooner rather than later.
And, given his comments following the defeat to Brighton, it is a topic that is causing the Dutchman much frustration.
Lenny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazaroui hope to make a difference in defense
Ten Hag needs to quickly resolve United’s defensive problems to avoid coming under pressure again
“Two easy goals, we have to be more effective in both areas,” he lamented. “(In the winning goal) we didn’t stop the cross.
‘There were three players: a right-footer, send him down the line instead of letting him come and allow the cross.
“We have to talk about this, about how we acted as a team in this situation. On that occasion there was more than one error and that has a big impact on the score.”
Ten Hag kept his job this summer despite significant speculation following last season’s struggles, but if the Dutchman does not resolve his defensive problems soon, rumours about his future will soon flare up again.
