Man Utd lose again to Brighton as dismal start to PL season continues

Manchester United's dismal start to the new Premier League season continued on Saturday as they lost 3-1 to Brighton for the fourth top-flight game in a row.

For the first time in 33 years, Man Utd have lost three of their first five league games of a season, with the Old Trafford defeat ending a run of 20 games unbeaten at home in the Premier League.

The irony was in the performance - far better from Man Utd, with Rasmus Hojlund and Sergio Reguilon impressing on their first starts and Marcus Rashford looking lively on the left wing.

But they were undone by some questionable defending for all three of Brighton's goals, with the visitors not allowing any mistake to go unpunished.

Former Man Utd striker Danny Welbeck was left unmarked as he swept home the 20th-minute opener. After the break, neither Lisandro Martinez nor Victor Lindelof reacted quickly enough to intercept Tariq Lamptey's passive pass, allowing Pascal Gross to double the visitors' lead in the 53rd minute.

In a similar fashion, Joao Pedro was allowed plenty of space at the top of the area to curl home a delightful third in the 71st minute, although Hannibal Mejbri immediately replied two minutes later for the hosts. However, it did not spark the comeback Old Trafford craved.