Matthijs de Ligt makes strong claim to start in brilliant cameo for Man United despite loss vs. Brighton and Hove Albion | OneFootball

Manchester United suffered a devastating late loss to Brighton and Hove Albion, in their second Premier League clash of the 2024/25 season.

Brighton took the lead just after the hour mark via Danny Welbeck, who capitalised on some pitiful defending from Harry Maguire to guide the ball into the back of the net.

United restored parity in the second half courtesy of Amad Diallo, who cut in with his left foot before firing a powerful shoot that took a deflection on its way in.

The game seemed destined to finish in a draw but Brighton scored at the death to deny United any share whatsoever of the points.

Erik ten Hag’s men had 53% possession in comparison to Brighton’s 47 share of the ball. The Red Devils managed four shots on target from their 11 cracks at goal. The Seagulls on the other hand had 14 shots at goal, with five of these requiring Andre Onana to intervene.

United put together 507 passes with a pass completion of 87%. Brighton strung 463 passes with a success rate of 85%.

One of the few positives to take from United’s display at the Amex Stadium was Matthijs de Ligt’s cameo. He was thrust into the match as a late substitute and during the 11 minutes he was on the pitch, showed his class.

De Ligt made two clearances.

He blocked one shot and made as many interceptions. The Netherlands international was not required to contest any challenges on the ground.

De Ligt delved into one aerial duel and came out on top on that single occasion. He had 13 touches of the ball to his name and in an incredible show of his technical ability, registered a 100% pass accuracy.

The 25-year-old successfully connected with the one long ball he tried to ping.

(Stats obtained from Sofascore)

The signs are positive, regarding what De Ligt can bring to the table. Considering just how shaky Maguire was against Brighton, the former Bayern Munich man certainly made a strong case to start the next match vs. Liverpool.

Play for free to win the new United kit!

We’re awarding a new prize every PL matchweek, courtesy of Goat Kits! To play, just (1) Join this week’s brand new PL Challenge league here with our league code puu1tk and enter this week’s competition. (2) Follow The Peoples Person on X and answer the tie breaker question. Full instructions and rules here.

You can also visit Goat Kits at goatkitstore.com and use discount code TPP30 to get 30% off your first purchase!