Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag must learn key lesson from Brighton defeat in time for West Ham

The FA Cup semi-final result between Manchester United and Brighton, a game less than two weeks old, was never far from the Amex Stadium on Thursday night.

The rowdy Brighton fans, fuelled by semi-final disappointment, presided over a game in which tensions simmered and felt bound to boil over in the final minutes as United seemed unsure whether to play for the goalless draw. Truth be told, Manchester United and Brighton are two very evenly matched sides.

Despite vastly divergent squad values and wage bills, both clubs have players who belong in the Champions League and those who don’t. It seems inevitable that one day Kaoru Mitoma, Alexis McAllister and Moises Caicdeo will play at European football’s highest level.

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McAllister netted a penalty in the ninth minute of injury time to win the game to the jubilation of the Brighton faithful. This came after the much-praised Luke Shaw lapsed from a corner and palmed the ball away from Lewis Dunk’s head to give away the penalty.

United had been good in spells, but defeat was not an unfair result at the hands of a Brighton side who had plenty of good chances themselves. The anger and frustration of United fans is not purely rooted in the fact that United lost away from home at an ambitious club gunning for its first season in European football. It is also not totally a result of the penalty being scored with 98 minutes of football played.

It is because the problems in the side are so evident and the flaws have been repetitively exposed this season. Yes, the team lacks a proper striker - Martial has not excited fans for years and Weghorst isn’t good enough. There are well-documented frailties in midfield which have