Pogba slams lackluster United
French star says attitude was inexcusable in Brighton defeat
BRIGHTON, England — Manchester United captain Paul Pogba said his team didn’t have the right attitude in Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion because of sloppy defensive play.
It was the first time in nearly two years that Jose Mourinho’s side conceded more than two goals in a Premier League game, with Glenn Murray, Shane Duffy and Pascal Gross — the latter from the penalty spot — putting Brighton 3-1 up by halftime.
“They had more hunger than us. I put myself first, that my attitude wasn’t right. We made mistakes we shouldn’t make,” said Pogba, whose penalty deep into stoppage time proved too little, too late.
Mourinho warned of a “difficult” season when he wasn’t backed in the transfer market before the deadline for Premier League clubs closed before the opening weekend of the season.
Strengthening the heart of his defense was Mourinho’s top priority, and it showed as Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly endured a torrid afternoon.
“We were punished by the mistakes we made. For me that’s the story of the game,” said Mourinho.
“We made incredible mistakes in some crucial moments. Mistakes that killed us.”
Romelu Lukaku briefly brought United back into the match at 2-1, but there was little reaction after the break until Pogba’s penalty as United fell three points behind defending champion Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham just two games into the new campaign.
When United also lost on its last visit to Brighton in May, Mourinho lambasted those handed a chance to fight for a place in the FA Cup final in one of a series of public tirades against his players.
The manager claimed the backlash he received for doing so means he won’t speak his mind so freely despite his third season in charge ominously getting off to a bad start like it did at Real Madrid and in his second season at Chelsea.
“Don’t expect me to speak with you about it because you and your colleagues were really critical when in previous seasons I was too honest, too open analyzing players’ performances,” Mourinho told reporters. “So don’t ask me to do what you criticize so much.”
Classy finish
The story could have been very different for the visitor had Lukaku not wasted a huge chance to open the scoring when he pulled his shot wide of the near post in the 10th minute.
Instead, Brighton went in front when veteran striker Murray flicked home Solly March’s cross with a classy finish.
Two minutes later, the host led 2-0 as Duffy was given the space to control and blast a shot past a helpless David de Gea after United failed to clear a corner.
Despite suggesting he is unhappy at Old Trafford after scoring in last weekend’s 2-1 win over Leicester, Pogba was again handed the captain’s armband by Mourinho.
However, there was little sign of Pogba leading United out of the mire as he and summer signing Fred, who cost a reported $66.3 million, struggled to control the game in midfield.
“I know you cannot always play very, very good,” said Pogba. “But the attitude always has to be very good and we missed that.”
Brighton’s failure to defend set-pieces cost it in a 2-0 loss to Watford the previous weekend and the Seagulls threatened to undo their good work again when Lukaku was left unmarked to nod home Luke Shaw’s deflected cross and give United a lifeline.
That reprieve lasted just 10 minutes, however, before more rash defending by Bailly allowed Brighton to restore their two-goal lead when he brought down Gross, who converted from the spot.