Old Trafford hosted this match with a different kind of weight. For Manchester United, the FA Cup was no longer “just another competition”: it was the competition. Elimination here meant being reduced to the Premier League alone. Far too little for a club of this size.
United started well. Very well, in fact. High press, intensity, Šeško constantly unsettling the defence. Within seven minutes, Dalot and Bruno had already had clear chances. It was the kind of start that demands a goal… but it did not arrive.
From a relatively simple situation, Brighton took the lead. A cross, a rebound, Lammens makes the save, but the ball falls to Gruda. Goal. And immediately the camera finds Dalot, the perfect symbol of a United that could already be winning and instead finds itself chasing the game.
From there on, the match drifted into that uncomfortable territory so typical of this United. They controlled possession, created volume, but never conveyed security. They kept finding good balls in behind the defence, especially for Šeško, but decision-making consistently failed. Cunha tried to do everything on his own, Šeško took too long to decide, and Diogo Dalot seemed unsure of what to do whenever he got close to goal.
Even so, at half-time the numbers were misleading. More possession, more shots, more territorial control for United. But the game was not under control.
In the second half, everything got worse. The tempo dropped, passes started to go astray one after another, Mason Mount drifted through the game and Ugarte alternated good moments with inexplicable decisions.
And the punishment came again. Gruda received the ball with no pressure, lifted his head and Welbeck struck with power. The ex-player’s law, yes, but above all the law of passivity. 0-2.
The reaction came more from emotion than organisation. Crosses, long balls, more heart than head. Šeško’s goal in the 85th minute briefly reignited something. Credit to the striker and credit to Bruno, but it came too late. Lacey’s red card killed what little control was still there. At the final whistle, there was no surprise. There was frustration.
Post-match
Manchester United’s season ended today. Not officially, but emotionally, competitively and symbolically. United started well, failed to kill the game, made mistakes where mistakes are unforgivable and lost control when maturity was required. Did they create? Yes. Did they try? Yes. But they remain incapable of being effective, stable and trustworthy.
Bruno Fernandes was once again the lighthouse, and that is no longer a compliment, it is a structural problem. Dalot had an almost disastrous night, constant technical errors and poor decisions across the team as a whole.
United do play football, but they play it badly in decisive moments. They create, but finish little. They control the ball, but cannot control matches, and they no longer frighten almost anyone in knockout games.