THE VERDICT: UNITED 1 BRIGHTON 0
ASHLEY Young could have left United in January or August, and it is just as well the 32-year-old remained in Jose Mourinho’s plans as he transforms into Old Trafford’s own version of Peter Pan.
Young’s winner, credited as an own goal, against Brighton came in his ninth straight Premier League match at leftback on a day his manager might have signalled the end of some United careers.
Mourinho dropped Matteo Darmian, Luke Shaw and Daley Blind in perhaps the greatest show of faith in the evergreen Young.
Amid United’s interest in Danny Rose, and the Spurs star’s interest in the Reds, a Pep Guardiola-style full-back overhaul is not unforeseeable with Shaw, Darmian and Blind in jeopardy. Antonio Valencia is a growing issue, too. He was careless against the flying Seagulls and that knee injury he has carried for months looks like it is starting to affect him.
Expect Young to still be at Old Trafford in a year’s time. His consistency is rarely matched and he overcame an inauspicious start against Brighton in a game Mourinho was at his gruffest, giving Valencia and Romelu Lukaku earfuls and reacting to the first half with such disgust he was almost in the tunnel before the referee’s half-time whistle.
It took just 37 minutes for Mourinho to illuminate the Zlat signal. Zlatan Ibrahimovic was followed by Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marouane Fellaini down the touchline as the United manager pondered a half-time change.
There was a lack of innovation and intuitive thinking from the same front six which put four past Newcastle seven days earlier, and the only surprise was Mourinho resisted withdrawing anyone after a slack first half.
Ibrahimovic eventually emerged in the 62nd minute and United reverted to 4-42. That in itself was a questionable move on an afternoon when the Reds had failed to service Lukaku and so it was fitting the breakthrough came via two slices of luck.
Brighton thought they had a goalkick as the ball dribbled over the line following Lukaku’s miscontrol, only the linesman gave a corner. Marcus Rashford’s centre was cleared, Young trapped, shifted and his left-footer sliced off Lewis Dunk and over keeper Matthew Ryan.
Mourinho might have felt United were due some luck after some fortuitous decisions City have received in recent weeks. The Reds’ worst first 45 minutes of the season came at Huddersfield last month and they plummeted to similar depths in their first league meeting with Brighton since 1983.
Anthony Knockaert’s cross flashed wide early on to spread anxiety around Old Trafford. Nemanja Matic, withdrawn from the line-up in Basel, produced his Dunk (66 og) None 58% 42% 15 5 8 0 Murray 75,018 None Duffy, Neil Swarbrick poorest performance yet and Rashford was moved to the right wing moments after the mild-mannered Mata vented his spleen at his pressing from a central role. The Spaniard struggled to justify that tactical switch.
Rashford would prefer not to play on the right yet almost claimed an assist from there. His precise 45th-minute cross was met by Romelu Lukaku and Ryan reacted alertly to claw the ball away and deny Paul Pogba’s scrambled effort on the rebound. An interval advantage would have flattered United.
Mourinho’s patience was not rewarded early in the second period, so he called upon Ibrahimovic, himself dubbed Peter Pan by a Reds staff member. But it was Young who took flight.