Diogo Dalot moment in Brighton defeat is a repeated problem Manchester United must fix

Manchester United may have plenty of massive problems on and off the pitch that need resolving but that doesn't mean they can ignore the smaller, seemingly inconsequential ones. Because they're never that inconsequential, are they?

There were some setbacks over the summer, namely Cristiano Ronaldo's disruptive desire to leave and the neverending Frenkie de Jong saga but, still, Erik ten Hag managed to build some optimism ahead of the new campaign. Performances in pre-season friendlies had been encouraging, the team looked to finally have a plan to follow, a structure to work within and a style to aspire to.

Several players looked rejuvenated. Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Fred, Harry Maguire and, especially, Anthony Martial all looked to have been instilled with new confidence. The latter may have got injured at the worst possible time prior to the Premier League season opener against Brighton but, regardless, the fans were in high spirits ahead of kick-off.

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A nice sunny day, the Premier League back, some intriguing signings, a new manager, a fresh start, it all makes those hopes and aspirations for a new season creep upwards and as the players made their way out onto the pitch for the game Old Trafford was bouncing. The first kick was met with a roar of encouragement.

Then, within just a few seconds the noise lowered, and hearts were in mouths. You can see heads fall into hands. Brighton already had a chance. "Oh, here we go again," must have been what everyone was thinking.

There wasn't even 10 seconds on the clock when Diogo Dalot got caught in possession by Leandro Trossard who then went through on goal but could only find