Forget how bad United were – this is why Brighton could surprise many – tactical analysis

Some things never change. There was a buzz about Manchester United heading into their first Premier League game of the season. A new man in a swapped dugout, two new signings on the pitch, and a different style of play that hasn’t been seen since the days of Louis van Gaal.

Unfortunately for the Red Devils, history repeated itself. Just as van Gaal lost on his league debut at home against Swansea City back in 2014, Erik ten Hag’s side were put to the sword by Brighton and Hove Albion.

Despite some impressive performances in pre-season, United looked defective, dismal and downright shoddy, a continuation of last season’s disaster.

However, even though Man United will hit the back-pages as they so often do, credit must be handed to the visitors. Despite losing both Yves Bissouma and Marc Cucurella, the Seagulls were superb, playing without fear, ripping the hosts to shreds, particularly in the first half.

While the fall and fall of Manchester United has carried over into the new campaign, Brighton managed to pick up where they left off from last season’s ninth-place finish, taking all three points at Old Trafford for the first time in history with a 2-1 win.

This tactical analysis piece will be an analysis of Brighton’s tactics at the Theatre of Dreams on Sunday, looking at why Graham Potter outclassed ten Hag in a great battle of the minds, with a particular focus on their dominant first-half display.

Lineups and formations

Beginning with the visitors, there were no surprises as ten Hag lined his new side up in the 4-3-3 even though the team had been playing with a 4-2-3-1 throughout pre-season.

David de Gea started in goal, protecting the daunting goalposts behind a backline comprising of Luke Shaw, new signing Lisandro Martinez, captain Harry Maguire and Diogo Dalot.