Manchester United suffered a dismal 3-1 home loss to Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, with a costly error from goalkeeper Andre Onana compounding their woes.
Yankuba Minteh starred for the visitors, scoring one goal and setting up another, as Brighton secured a convincing victory.
Kaoru Mitoma and Georginio Rutter also found the net for Brighton in the second half, while a Joao Pedro goal was disallowed by VAR due to a foul in the build-up.
Bruno Fernandes converted a penalty for United to equalize at 1-1 before halftime, but Brighton’s second-half dominance proved decisive.
The turning point came when Onana spilt what appeared to be a routine save from a low cross, gifting Rutter a simple tap-in to restore Brighton's lead. This error allowed Brighton regain control of the match and ultimately secure the three points.
United's momentum from their thrilling FA Cup win over Arsenal and comeback victory against Southampton was then abruptly halted by Brighton at Old Trafford with Onana's error attributed for the loss.
Onana’s Manchester United career has been error-ridden. Following Bayindir’s heroic performance against Arsenal in the FA Cup, fans called for the backup to depose the Cameroonian.
His performance against Brighton further embittered Red Devils fans, who, on social media, called for the CAF Goalkeeper of the Year to leave the club.
“Personally I don’t like goalkeepers who wants the spotlight. Just man the goal and keep it going,” one fan said. “He should be the first player to booted out of the club this transfer window,” another lamented.
After the match, Manchester United coach Amorim had this to say :
“We are being the worst team maybe in the history of Man United; we have to acknowledge that.”
"It was similar to other games; we suffered some goals that we shouldn't suffer. Then it's hard to have possession because we are anxious.
"We scored the equaliser but the second half was the same thing. When we suffer goals like that then it's hard to turn around.
"We have to understand the moment but understand it's not acceptable for Manchester United to lose this many Premier League games. I don't know why.
"We need to be better, that is really clear, It doesn't matter if we have a lot of time to train or if I know the players, it's not acceptable. We continue to work to change details that change the game."
In a different fixture, Manchester City destroyed Ipswich Town at Portman Road, winning 6-0 to climb into the top four.
The champions may be a long way off defending their Premier League title but they are finally showing signs of life after a dreadful last 2 months of 2024.
Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, and Kevin De Bruyne all starred as they cruised to a 6-0 win over relegation-threatened Ipswich.