Man Utd 1 Brighton 2 LIVE RESULT: Cristiano Ronaldo can’t fire United to draw as Seagulls clinch historic win – reaction
BRIGHTON scored their first EVER win at Old Trafford to ruin the start to Manchester United's season.
Cristiano Ronaldo came off the bench to try and save Erik ten Hag's side from an embarrassing defeat at home, but he could not do the job.
Pascal Gross' double stunned the Theatre of Dreams as familiar frailties continued from last season for United.
Danny Welbeck's perfectly-timed run beat the offside trap and the former United striker squared across the box for Gross to ghost in at the far post for a tap-in.
Then a well-worked second goal saw David de Gea spill the ball straight into Gross' path for an easy chance.
- Man Utd 1-2 Brighton: Mac Allister (OG) 68; Gross 30, 39
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Stay up to date with all the latest from Old Trafford...
Man Utd 0-0 Brighton
19. Tactically you can see there is change to this United side already.
A lot of interchanging of positions by players.
Not sure they look too comfortable with it themselves just yet.
Some of the players look like they are new to the club as a result.
Man Utd 0-0 Brighton
17. Finally the visitors put some sort of press on United.
De Gea is dwelling on the ball looking for someone to find.
Put under pressure he slices the ball out for a Brighton throw in, deep in United's final third.
Man Utd 0-0 Brighton
15. Welbeck is slotted through but loses his footing at a vital time.
The visitors are keeping United boxed into their own half at the moment.
De Gea has not been worked much as yet.
Man Utd 0-0 Brighton
13. Welbeck looks to make something happen out wide.
He manages to hold the ball up with three United players around him.
Brighton are starting to play with more confidence now.
Credit: Reuters Man Utd 0-0 Brighton
11. Neither team has really asserted themselves on the game as yet.
It is very scrappy in the middle of the park.
End to end stuff at the moment.
Man Utd 0-0 Brighton
9. Fred gifts the ball to Trossard in the box.
He redeems himself as he blocks the Brighton player's shot.
This is a very open game at the moment.
Man Utd 0-0 Brighton - Fernandes chance!
7. United are finding space all over the park right now.
McTominay looks to get a shot away but it is blocked and the ball deflects into the path of Fernandes.
With no pressure on him at all and a clear sight of goal, the Portuguese midfielder blasts the ball over the crossbar.
He should have done a lot better with that one.
Man Utd 0-0 Brighton
5. Trossard is causing United issues down the left.
On this occasion Maguire looks to shield the ball and is bundled over.
The referee agrees that the centre back was fouled.
Man Utd 0-0 Brighton
3. After that early scare, United begin to dominate possession.
Plenty of space to work the ball into on this big pitch.
Brighton happy to let United have time on the ball without any urgency to their pressing currently.
Credit: Reuters
Man Utd 0-0 Brighton - Trossard chance!
1. With the new season barely a minute old, the visitors have a chance to take the lead at OId Trafford.
Dalot caught out and Trossard fires a shot off at goal.
The ball nestling into the side-netting and not troubling De Gea.
Kick-off: Man Utd vs Brighton
New kit, new manager, new season.
We are underway at Old Trafford.
A packed house looking forward to the start of the ten Hag era.
Fans all fired up for the first game
The first game of the Premier League season is always something to look forward to for fans up and down the country.
With the sun bathing down on Old Trafford, the atmosphere is building in and outside of the ground.
Add to that the arrival of a new manager, high hopes and the belief that he can take them back to where they once were.
Let's hope Fred can play football more successfully than his drinking from water bottles today.
We are minutes from kick-off here.
Credit: AFP Goals set out for new man
ten Hag's mission, short term at least, is to get Man Utd back into the Champions League as it is not realistic to turn this squad into title-challengers overnight.
It will be a big loss to the Old Trafford side not to be in Europe's elite competition this season.
However, it will allow them to focus on their domestic form under their new manager
Potter has the magic touch
Having sold Marc Cucurella to Chelsea for a fee in the region of £62m, Brighton's owners must think their manager has been casting his own spells getting so much for a player they paid a mere £19m for only a year ago.
With Bissouma moving on to Tottenham, it will be a test of the manager's credentials how they bounce back from those transfers.
A perfect way to start would be by getting some sort of result at Old Trafford today.
Brighton subs:
23. Steele, 2. Lamptey, 6. Colwill, 8. Mwepu, 9. Maupay, 19. Sarmiento, 21. Undav, 22. Mitoma, 29. van Hecke
Brighton starting XI:
Graham Potter has a near enough full-strength Brighton squad to choose from for today's trip to Old Trafford.
Ex-Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana will no doubt get a warm reception, having scored in his last appearance for United's fierce rivals at the ground.
Pascal Gross will be hoping to continue his rich vein of goalscoring form against the Red Devils.
1. Sanchez, 34. Veltman, 5. Dunk, 4. Webster, 7. March, 10. Mac Allister, 25. Caicedo, 11. Trossard, 13. Gross, 14. Lallana, 18. Welbeck
Credit: @OfficialBHAFC Man Utd subs:
22. Heaton, 12. Malacia, 19. Varane, 29. Wan-Bissaka, 37. Garner, 34. van de Beek, 36. Elanga, 49. Garnacho, 7. Ronaldo
Man Utd starting XI:
The big news coming out of Manchester is that Cristiano Ronaldo is on the bench for ten Hag's first game in charge.
Lisandro Martinez will make his debut alongside Harry Maguire.
Christian Eriksen makes his first appearance for the club today in the Premier League also.
1. De Gea, 20. Dalot, 5. Maguire, 6. Martinez, 23. Shaw, 39. McTominay, 17. Fred, 25. Sancho, 14. Eriksen, 8. Fernandes, 10. Rashford.
Credit: @ManUtd Brighton looking to continue good form
Graham Potter's side lost just one of their final nine games last season (W5, D3).
They had the fifth-best away record in the top flight last season, losing just four times (W7, D8).
Pascal Gross has scored in all three of Brighton's wins over Man Utd and has a total of four goals against the Red Devils.
Match odds courtesy of Betfair
Here are your prices for today's match from bookmakers .
Man Utd - 4/6
Draw - 29/10
Brighton - 4/1
Dutchman looking to turn back time
Erik ten Hag will be welcomed to Old Trafford today as the Dutchman takes charge of his first Premier League game as Man Utd manager.
ten Hag will be the eighth manager to take the reins at United since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, hoping to have far more success than his predecessors.
The Dutch manager knows that the club is not where it wants to be and what is required to get them back to that place.
Credit: Rex
Big game pressure in debut appearance
Six of the previous seven Man Utd managers have won their first game in charge.
The last five Dutchmen to manage in the Premier League have lost their opening game, with only one Dutch manager having won on his debut (Guus Hiddink with Chelsea at Aston Villa in February 2009)
Man Utd have won their first Premier League match in 10 of the past 13 seasons, including a 5-1 win against Leeds Utd last season.
The Cristiano Ronaldo conundrum
Erik ten Hag would have no doubt seen having a player like Ronaldo at his disposal as a huge positive in taking the Old Trafford position.
Little would he have expected that this would be his biggest headache in the early stages of his Man Utd tenure with the Portuguese player making his thoughts known on wanting to leave the club.
The Dutchman needs to manage this situation carefully as it has the potential of having a negative effect on the rest of his squad.
It is fair to say that this will be the first of many huge tests for ten Hag as United manager, how he deals with this situation could make or break his time at the club.
Ten Hag: this squad has promise
Erik ten Hag says he is adamant he can turn United into a team of winners after last season's horror show.
He said: "We know we have to give the example on the pitch.
But if we have the right attitude and by that I mean hard work and being brave - then the fans will like it and it will bring the fight back.
"Every game is a challenge so we have to get the best out of it. There will be setbacks but we'll have to deal with that.
"That is the attitude we all need. And when you show it and have a good plan, in the end you will achieve success. I am 100 per cent confident of that.
"I see the potential in many players in this squad and, yes, I am convinced I can develop the team. You cannot change the past but you can change the future."
Ten Hag hoping for fast start
Dutchman Erik ten Hag may be a Premier League new boy but he is well aware winning alone has never been enough at United.
And he is relishing the chance to put smiles back on the faces of long-suffering fans as much as points on the board.
Ten Hag insisted: "That's why I am here and I like it. United want to win but win in a certain way - pro-active, brave and with adventure.
"I think that belongs to the culture here and we want to bring that in.
"Me, the staff and the players have to do everything to bring success back on to the pitch.
"Every day you have to bring the maximum of what you can, then you will develop individually and as a team."