Manchester United may soon lose patience with manager Erik ten Hag after another humbling by Liverpool, Red Devils' great Gary Neville said on Sunday.

Former defender Neville believes the Dutchman may only have until Christmas at Old Trafford to turn around what has been another disappointing start to the Premier League season.

United were crushed 3-0 at home to Liverpool as Mohamed Salah scored one and assisted both goals of Luis Diaz's first-half brace on the red side of Manchester.

Ten Hag is the only United manager to lose three Premier League home games by three or more goals in the space of a year, also suffering 3-0 defeats to Manchester City in October and Bournemouth in December last year.

"It's going to be a challenging week or so for Ten Hag just to get around the fact that there will be some pressure building," Neville said on Sky Sports.

"But I think he will get until Christmas. There's no doubt about that. There's no doubt that INEOS and Dan Ashworth the chief executive, who has got a sense of calm about him – the [former Manchester] City chief executive [Omar Berrada] and Dave Brailsford and those people, are not just going to do something stupid.

"Within three or four months, they have made the decision to keep him. They will get four or five months. What they can't be is mid-table come Christmas, but he is going to get a few months, there's no doubt about that."

Fellow pundit Jamie Carragher rebuffed, responding "I would be surprised if he is still in charge at the end of the season", and if results continue this way, United's hand may be forced with Ten Hag.

The former Ajax boss is also the only United manager to lose two of the three opening matches in a Premier League season on two separate occasions.

"It was a sobering day for Erik ten Hag, his players and for the new ownership sat in the stand en masse, looking at it and thinking whether they're on the right path," Neville continued.

"He's been influenced to change his team and his staff in the summer as he's brought two new coaches in. That isn't always ideal as there is new messaging coming in. There's a lot of change at the club so there was going to be a bit of pain along the way in interfering with the Glazer ownership.

"We're seeing that today and it's not going to change quickly. It's a sobering day but one that requires some calm."

Casemiro was removed at half-time, having played a woeful pass in the build-up to Diaz's opener amid a torrid first half.

Despite his early exit, the Brazil midfielder lost possession 14 times, with Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui only doing so more often for United (16 each) and both playing the full game.

"Manchester United fans don't often boo," Neville added on the jeers for Ten Hag, Casemiro and under-fire Marcus Rashford. "They don't often boo the manager, they don't often boo substitutions, they don't often boo players individually. And there's been a couple of times today [where they have].

"They will boo, generally, a performance at half-time when the players are going off if they're losing 2-0. But ordinarily, they don't take out individuals and a couple of times today they have. Casemiro in the first half and then obviously referring to Rashford with that boo."

Erik ten Hag insists Manchester United will push for trophies this season despite a humiliating 3-0 defeat to rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday. 

Ten Hag, who won the EFL Cup and FA Cup in his first two terms with the club, watched on as Luis Diaz's double and Mohamed Salah's second-half strike secured an impressive victory for the visitors.

While the statistics suggest it was a closely contested affair, Liverpool punished a series of errors from United at a disgruntled Old Trafford, with Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo both culpable for senseless turnovers.

Of the Red Devils' eight shots, meanwhile, only three threatened Alisson's goal, as they ended the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.36 to Liverpool's 1.73. 

But despite an underwhelming display ahead of the international break, Ten Hag is confident he can add more silverware to United's trophy cabinet this campaign. 

"You can see the xG, we didn't concede as many goals. I don't think we are in the same pattern. It was sometimes open and we took risks," he told Sky Sports.

"But I don't want to talk about this after a 3-0 defeat to Liverpool. Well done Liverpool. We have to be humble and take it.

"There are many games to play and I know where we will be at the end of the season. We will go for trophies. That will stand."

It proved to be another difficult outing for Casemiro, who gifted Liverpool their opening goal with a poor pass out from the back before being bundled off the ball in the build-up to their second. 

The Brazilian completed 27 of his 37 attempted passes, losing possession 13 times, with only Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot doing so on more occasions (both 16). 

Casemiro was replaced at half-time by 20-year-old Toby Collyer, with Ten Hag later saying the decision was taken for the good of the team.

"It is what the team needed. You know when you are 2-0 down against Liverpool you have to take more risks, it will be open," he said.

"When you are losing you have to take more risks. I have to give compliments to the team. You have to keep fighting and sticking together.

"You know the game and he knows the game. He will go on and we will go on. He's a great player. We will continue this season to improve the team and the players.

"Is he still able to play at the highest level? He improved and has shown so often that he is a great character.

"We all have seen great moments from him and him being decisive in midfield. He will show that again and will bounce back."

Mohamed Salah says he "wants to enjoy" what could be his final year at Liverpool, after playing a key role in the Reds' 3-0 victory over Manchester United.

Salah assisted the opener for Luis Diaz before scoring the second - and what was his 10th goal in his last seven appearances at Old Trafford - as Arne Slot's side made it three wins from three in the Premier League.

The Egyptian became the first player to score in five successive away appearances against United in the Premier League, though his future at Anfield is uncertain.

Now into the final year of his existing contract, Salah wants to embrace every moment of his eighth season with Liverpool.

"A great result. Everyone knows the derby is important for the fans and the city," he told Sky Sports. "We need to carry on and, if you want to fight for the league, you have to win each game.

"The manager likes us to press high and there were a couple of mistakes, and we managed to punish them - it was part of the plan.

"I had a good summer, a long time to stay with myself and think positively a bit. This is my last year with the club and I want to enjoy it.

"I feel I am free to play football. We will see what happens next year. Nobody in the club has talked to me about contracts. It is not up to me, it is up to the club."

Meanwhile, Slot saluted his players as he became just the third manager to win each of his first three Premier League games without conceding, after the late Sven-Goran Eriksson (2007) and Jose Mourinho (2004).

"The first few minutes, United started aggressive, and we had to fight our way through the period.

"If you go to Old Trafford, we know there will be tough moments. After scoring a great goal [through Trent Alexander-Arnold], which was disallowed, we kept on playing as we were before.

"Today, we showed a lot of moments where the forwards tracked back so aggressively, and that is what we need if you want to win these games. It's a good win."

Arne Slot maintained his perfect start as Liverpool head coach as the Reds ran riot in a resounding 3-0 victory over rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Luis Diaz’s header handed the visitors the advantage 10 minutes before half-time, after Trent Alexander-Arnold had seen a potential early opener chalked off following a VAR review.

Diaz then doubled his tally seven minutes later with a low finish into the bottom corner after being picked out by an intricate pass from Mohamed Salah.

The Egyptian scored against United in the Premier League for the 12th time after the break, Liverpool punishing yet another mistake from the Red Devils' midfield to add some gloss to the scoreline.

The triumph sees Liverpool join Manchester City as the only two sides with perfect records after three matches, while United enter the international break in 14th with three points.

Data Debrief: Slot machine pays out its biggest jackpot

Liverpool's triumph marked a statement victory in Slot's early tenure, with the Dutchman becoming the second Reds boss to win their first meeting away from home against United since George Kay in November 1936. 

Slot also became just the third manager to win each of his first three Premier League games without conceding, after Sven-Göran Eriksson in 2007 and José Mourinho in 2004.

But the day belonged to Liverpool's Egyptian King. Salah is the first player to score in five straight away appearances against the Red Devils in the Premier League; Dion Dublin (v Tottenham), Alan Shearer (v Leeds United), Ruud van Nistelrooy (v Newcastle), Robert Pires (v Tottenham) and Jamie Vardy (v West Brom) are the only other players to net in as many consecutive away trips to the same opponent in the competition. 

Salah has now scored 10 goals in nine appearances at Old Trafford for Liverpool in all competitions. He is only the second player to score 10+ goals at a single away ground for Premier League clubs since 1992-93, after Alan Shearer (10 at Elland Road).

Jadon Sancho wants to "bring excitement" to "iconic" Chelsea, and is looking to emulate idols Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba following his Deadline Day move from Manchester United.

The winger joined the Blues on a season-long loan deal which, according to widespread reports, includes an obligation to buy for between £20million and £25million.

That means Sancho would not be returning to Old Trafford, where he found first-team opportunities limited after a public falling out with head coach Erik ten Hag.

The 24-year-old, who made 83 appearances for United, spent the second half of last season on loan with former club Borussia Dortmund, helping the Bundesliga side reach their third Champions League final along the way.

Sancho appeared from the bench in the Red Devils' Community Shield defeat against Manchester City, but was not included in the matchday squad for their opening two Premier League games of the new season.

And he is excited by the prospect of a fresh start under Enzo Maresca, whose vision at Stamford Bridge proved too difficult for him to turn down. 

"I think it's the manager who really drew me to the project," Sancho, who will wear the number 19 shirt, told Chelsea's official website. 

"He spoke to me on the phone about this project and what he was building here, and for a young player like myself it's exciting, and I can't wait to get started.

"I enjoy his style of play. When [the wingers] get on the ball, he loves them to go one versus one and be direct. We play a lot of one-twos with the 10s and the striker combination plays. It's very attractive.

"I'm a skilful player and I want to bring excitement to the Bridge. Hopefully, it will turn out well.

"Chelsea is iconic. My idols growing up were Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard, and now I have the opportunity to play for this club like them. It's a great feeling."

Jadon Sancho has secured a move away from Manchester United, having joined Chelsea on Deadline Day on a season-long loan.

The deal includes an obligation to buy for between £20-£25 million at the end of the loan, according to widespread reports, meaning that the 24-year-old will not be returning to Old Trafford next summer.

Work to complete the transfer came late on Deadline Day, with a deal sheet being submitted to ensure the signing could go through after the 11pm deadline.

Chelsea were able to get the deal over the line, confirming the move was complete on Saturday evening. 

"I’m really excited to be here," Sancho said. "London is where I grew up and I’m happy to be back.

"The manager spoke to me about the project and, for a young player, it's exciting. Hopefully I can bring goals and assists to the Bridge."

It brings an end to a three-year spell at Old Trafford for Sancho. The winger originally joined United on a five-year contract in 2021 but, following a public falling out with manager Erik ten Hag, found his first-team opportunities limited.

Sancho made 83 appearances in all competitions for United, but his last start for the club came against Manchester City in the 2023 FA Cup final. He made three substitute appearances in August 2023 before moving back to Dortmund on loan in January, where he scored three goals in 21 appearances.

His final outing in a United shirt came off the bench in their Community Shield defeat to Manchester City, but he was not included in the squad for the first two league games.

Sancho joins a club with plenty of competition for attacking places, with Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Pedro Neto, Joao Felix and Noni Madueke among their roster.

Chelsea did also manage to move some players on during Deadline Day. Raheem Sterling secured a loan move to Arsenal on Deadline Day, while Trevoh Chalobah joined Crystal Palace, Armando Broja moved to Everton and Djordje Petrovic was loaned by Strasbourg.

Manchester United have signed Manuel Ugarte on a five-year contract, while Scott McTominay has left the club after a 22-year stay.

Ugarte joined the Red Devils in a deal worth up to £50.5million from Paris Saint-Germain, with the option to extend his contract for a further year.

The Uruguayan has been linked to United throughout the transfer window, with the club getting the deal through on transfer deadline day, though not in time for him to play Liverpool on Sunday.

Ugarte had the most interceptions among PSG players in Ligue 1 last season (40), while he also contested the most duels (302, 160 successful).

"It is an incredible feeling to join a club of this magnitude; one that is admired all around the world," Ugarte said. "The project that the football leadership discussed with me is extremely exciting; Manchester United is an ambitious club, and I am an ambitious player.

"I'm someone who is so determined to succeed; I will sacrifice and give everything for my team-mates. Together we will fight to win trophies and reach the level where this club needs to be."

Earlier on Friday, McTominay completed his anticipated move to Napoli in a transfer worth €30.5m on a four-year deal.

McTominay joined the club's academy as a five-year-old and made his first-team debut in May 2017.

He went on to make 255 for the senior team, scoring 29 goals, including 10 last term in his most prolific season, and providing eight assists.

In a farewell message to the fans, McTominay said: "I've absolutely loved it, and I'm very, very grateful for the football club. I'm ready for a new challenge, and I'm ready to go and embrace it and take it by storm.

"I want to see Manchester United win, I want to see us do really, really well, and I'll be watching as well. Thank you for having me and I have enjoyed every minute."

Napoli have also announced the signing of McTominay's Scotland team-mate Billy Gilmour from Brighton.

Antonio Conte, who managed at Chelsea before Gilmour made his debut, pushed for the move, with the midfielder signing a five-year contract in a deal worth an initial £12m. 

Two of the Premier League's biggest rivals meet at Old Trafford on Sunday, though it is fair to say there has been a gulf in class between these sides, at least over the course of a season, in recent campaigns.

This is, of course, Arne Slot's first game in charge of Liverpool against United. 

None of the Reds' last nine managers have won their first league meeting with the Red Devils, since Bob Paisley beat them 3-1 in November 1975. 

Meanwhile, George Kay is the only Liverpool manager to win his first away league game against United, winning 5-2 at Old Trafford in November 1936.

Will Slot be able to buck that trend on Sunday, putting out a statement regarding Liverpool's title aspirations in the process?

Ahead of the latest meeting between England's two most successful clubs, we look at all the best Opta facts surrounding the game.

What's expected?

It will surprise few to hear the Opta supercomputer makes Liverpool favourites for this one, with the Reds given a 48.4% chance of victory.

United, meanwhile, only came out on top in 28.2% of the simulations the model ran. The match was drawn in 23.4% of scenarios.

Liverpool have lost just one of their last six Premier League away games against United (two wins, three draws), while only Manchester City (nine) have won away at Old Trafford more often than the Reds (seven) in the competition's history. Is it any surprise they are favourites?

United have won just one of their last 12 Premier League meetings with Liverpool (five draws, six losses), beating them 2-1 at Old Trafford in their third game of the 2022-23 campaign.

However, United boss Erik ten Hag has got previous against Slot, having faced him four times in the Eredivisie. Slot's AZ beat Ten Hag's Ajax twice in 2019-20 before Ten Hag twice beat Slot's Feyenoord side in 2021-22. 

This will be the first Premier League game between two Dutch coaches since February 2016, when Guus Hiddink's Chelsea won 2-1 at Ronald Koeman's Southampton.

Ten Hag to unleash young guns?

Last season's FA Cup triumph, in all likelihood, preserved Ten Hag's status as United boss, and the high point in that run undoubtedly came against Liverpool in the last eight.

Going 2-1 down in normal time and 3-2 behind in the extra period, United twice found themselves on the brink of elimination, only to stage a miraculous comeback and steal a 4-3 win.

Amad Diallo was the hero on that occasion, scoring a dramatic 121st-minute winner before being sent off for removing his shirt in the wild celebrations that followed.

Diallo scored just his second Premier League goal in United's 2-1 defeat at Brighton and Hove Albion last time out, and with the Red Devils likely to play on the break against a confident Liverpool outfit, he could do more damage on Sunday.

The 22-year-old has registered 36 carries through his three appearances in the Community Shield and the Premier League in 2024-25, ranking fourth in the United squad behind centre-backs Lisandro Martinez (52) and Harry Maguire (41) and midfielder Kobbie Mainoo (37).

Many United fans have called for Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho to start on either flank, and an injury to Mason Mount could allow for that possibility this weekend, potentially with Marcus Rashford playing a central role.

Garnacho has two goal involvements (one goal, one assist) in all competitions this term, scoring in the Community Shield and assisting Joshua Zirkzee's winner against Fulham on matchday one in the Premier League. That is more than any other United player, despite the Argentine only playing 85 minutes overall. 

With Liverpool likely to leave space down the flanks, United's best route to victory could come via their young wide men.

Arne slots right in

It's been a case of so far, so good for Slot at Anfield. Liverpool have won their first two matches under their new boss, who has big shoes to fill following Jurgen Klopp's departure. 

Both of those victories have been by 2-0 scorelines, versus Ipswich Town and Brentford. Only twice before have they won each of their first three in a campaign without conceding, doing so in 2013-14 and 2018-19 – they beat United 1-0 on September 1 in their third game in 2013-14, so the omens are good.

Slot will be just as pleased with the Reds' performances, though, as he will be with their results. 

No team has had more shots than Liverpool in the Premier League this season (37), while the Reds also have the highest expected goals total (5.3) and the lowest expected goals against total (1.0) thus far.

Liverpool's pre-season was overshadowed by suggestions some of Klopp's most seasoned campaigners – most prominently Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk – could follow him through the exit door. However, both have made the transition to Slot's more possession-based style look serene.

Salah has already netted twice for Liverpool this season, and he is the highest-scoring visiting player to Old Trafford in Premier League history, with six goals. The Egyptian has netted in each of his last six away games against United in all competitions (nine goals in total).

Van Dijk, meanwhile, is set to make his 200th Premier League appearance for Liverpool, having been on the winning side in 139 of 199 outings to date, already the most wins any player has picked up in his first 200 for the club in the competition.

It will be intriguing to see how daring Slot's approach is, with Liverpool ranking fourth in the Premier League for possession share (62.2%), successful passes (1,172) and passes completed in the opposition half (537) through the first two matchdays.

A victory at Old Trafford, especially if achieved in a convincing manner, could provide lift-off for the Dutchman's reign.

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Manchester United – Marcus Rashford

Rashford might well be United's best hope, particularly if they are forced to soak up pressure and hit Liverpool on the break. 

He has only scored more goals against Leicester City (eight) in all competitions than he has against Liverpool (seven). 

All seven of these strikes have come in his 10 appearances against them at Old Trafford, including an extra-time strike in last season's memorable 4-3 FA Cup victory.

Liverpool – Dominik Szoboszlai 

Szoboszlai has been involved in more attacking sequences (20 – four shots, five chances created and 11 build-up involvements) than any other player in the Premier League this season. 

Five other Liverpool players rank in the top 10 by that metric – Luis Diaz (19), Trent Alexander-Arnold (16), Salah and Andy Robertson (both 15).

Given United's tendency to give up space in midfield, the dynamic Hungarian could be the driving force for Liverpool.

Manchester United will travel to Turkey to face former manager Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce following the Europa League's revamped draw on Friday.

The new league phase format sees each of the 36 teams play eight games, four at home and four away.

During his two-and-a-half-year spell at United, Mourinho led them to Europa League glory in 2017, beating Ajax 2-0 in the final.

The Red Devils' remaining seven games include an all-British home clash against Rangers, welcoming them to Old Trafford for the first time in 14 years, and a trip to another of Mourinho's old clubs, Porto.

Rangers, who have failed to win any of their last 13 games in major European competition against English opposition, will also face Tottenham and Conference League winners Olympiakos.

Spurs, winners of the inaugural tournament in 1972, will also meet Roma and Galatasaray in their other seven fixtures.

Meanwhile, in the Conference League, Chelsea's draw includes League of Ireland side Shamrock Rovers at home and a trip to Panathinaikos.

The Blues, who narrowly qualified for the competition on Thursday, have never faced any of their six opponents in any competition before. 

Mohamed Salah has just one year left on his Liverpool contract, but is not thinking too deeply about his future just yet.

Salah has started the Premier League season with two goals in as many games, and also provided an assist for Diogo Jota's strike against Ipswich Town.

Liverpool have won both of their top-tier matches under new boss Arne Slot, though the Dutchman faces his biggest task as Reds boss so far when his team face Manchester United on Sunday.

With Salah in sharp form, Liverpool will fancy their chances at Old Trafford, though Sunday's clash may ultimately be the Egypt international's final match at Old Trafford.

Salah is out of contract at the end of the season, and while he has no concrete plans over his future, says for now his intention is to enjoy the last year of his deal.

"Before the season, I was just like 'I've got one year left, let's just enjoy it and don't think about the contract'," Salah told Sky Sports.

"I don't want to think about next year or the future, I just want to enjoy the last year [of my contract] and let's see.

"The most important thing is to take one day at a time and just be grateful to be here."

Looking ahead to the United clash, Salah added: "I'm excited for [Sunday's game], we play United and usually we don't play them that early but yes it's a big game coming up and we are ready.

"I just focus on the big games and I always want to have the ability to win the game. I don't go into the game thinking about the records. I just go to the game and enjoy.

"I am trying my best to give everything for the club and the team, sometimes you have luck and sometimes you don't but I am just enjoying the football.

"It's a big change [under Slot], we have been with Jurgen Klopp for seven or eight years and now with the new manager there are different things, I enjoyed it before and I am enjoying it now."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester United - Marcus Rashford

Rashford has only scored more goals against Leicester City (eight) in all competitions than he has against Liverpool (seven).

All seven of these strikes have come in his 10 appearances against the Reds at Old Trafford.

Liverpool - Mohamed Salah

Salah is the highest scoring visiting player to Old Trafford in Premier League history (six goals), while he has netted in each of his last six away games against United in all competitions (nine goals in total).

MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN

No team has had more shots than Liverpool in the Premier League this season (37), while the Reds also have the highest expected goals total (5.3) and the lowest expected goals against total (1.0) so far.

Liverpool have won both of their Premier League games 2-0 this season. Twice before have they won each of their first three in a campaign without conceding, doing so in 2013-14 and 2018-19 – they beat United 1-0 on September 1 in the third game in the former.

Since Alex Ferguson retired, United have lost 13 of their 35 Premier League games played in September (W19 D3), only losing more often in May since 2013-14 (15). It’s more defeats than they suffered in the month in 76 games under the Scotsman (W45 D19 L12).

United have won just one of their last 12 Premier League meetings with Liverpool (D5 L6), beating them 2-1 at Old Trafford in their third game of the 2022-23 campaign.

Liverpool have lost just one of their last six Premier League away games against United (W2 D3), while only Manchester City (nine) have won away at Old Trafford more often than the Reds (7) in the competition’s history.

Slot and Erik ten Hag met four times during their time in the Eredivisie – Slot's AZ beat Ten Hag’s Ajax twice in 2019-20, before ten Hag twice beat Slot's Feyenoord side in 2021-22. This is the first Premier League game between two Dutch managers since February 2016, when Guus Hiddink's Chelsea won 2-1 at Ronald Koeman's Southampton.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Manchester United - 28.2%

Liverpool - 48.4%

Draw - 23.4%

Cristiano Ronaldo will be honoured with a special award as the Champions League's all-time leading goalscorer.

Ronaldo's achievements in the competition will be recognised during the Champions League 2024-25 draw, which will take place in Monaco on Thursday.

Over the course of 18 years, Ronaldo netted 140 goals in 183 Champions League appearances, 11 more than Lionel Messi in second place, and 46 clear of Robert Lewandowski in third.

The 39-year-old's first goal came in his fourth season in the competition, netting twice in Manchester United's 7-1 quarter-final victory over Roma in April 2007.

The following season, Ronaldo won his first Champions League title, proving an integral part of United's winning team as he scored eight times, including their only goal in the final against Chelsea.

He would go on to win four more titles with Real Madrid, enjoying his most prolific campaign during the first of those successes as he netted 17 times, a competition record, in 11 appearances in 2013-14.

The pick of Ronaldo's Champions League goals came during the longest scoring streak in the competition's history (11 games between June 2017 and April 2018), as he scored an outstanding overhead kick against Juventus in the quarter-finals.

The Portuguese forward was also the first five-time winner of the competition and finished as top-scorer on seven separate occasions, including six in a row between 2012 and 2018.

His final campaign in the competition saw him score six times in seven appearances on his return to Manchester United, hitting the back of the net in his first five group games.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the brightest stars in the UEFA Champions League constellation," said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin. "His extraordinary goal-scoring achievements in the competition seem destined to stand the test of time, posing a remarkable challenge for future generations to surpass.

"His sustained excellence at the highest level is a testament to his relentless pursuit of both team and individual honours. Over more than two decades, he has continuously evolved and refined his game while preserving a youthful passion for scoring and celebrating goals.

"His professionalism, work ethic, dedication, and ability to shine on the grandest stage are qualities that football players everywhere should aspire to emulate."

Manchester United must become "more clinical in both boxes", said a frustrated Erik ten Hag after Saturday's last-gasp 2-1 defeat to Brighton.

Joao Pedro headed in a stoppage-time winner for Brighton at the Amex Stadium, condemning United to their first Premier League loss of the season.

Amad Diallo had earlier cancelled out Danny Welbeck's opener, which was the Brighton forward's 100th club goal, and his sixth against his old side United.

United had a would-be equaliser disallowed when the offside Joshua Zirzkee got a knee to Alejandro Garnacho's strike on the line, and ultimately contrived to lose when some slack defending allowed Pedro to pounce at the back post.

Yet Ten Hag refused to pin the blame on Zirkzee's mistake, and instead reiterated the need for cutting edge at both ends of the field.

He told BBC Sport: "Absolutely [tough to take]. We should at least have taken a draw. And we could have won with the Garnacho [disallowed] goal.

"We created many other chances to score a second goal. We showed resilience after conceding an unnecessary goal but we fought back, and we had our opportunities to score more goals. Of course, it's disappointing when you go on to lose.

"[We conceded] two soft goals. We have to be more clinical in both boxes, we have to look and act better there as a team.

"I've seen some good spells. We took control of the game, we created good chances, it's a pity that we are without any points here, but that is top-level football.

"You have to take it, show resilience, gather and go for the next big game."

The match facts do not entirely support Ten Hag's view, however. United edged the possession, with 52.3%, but Brighton had more shots (14 to 11) and mustered more expected goals (2.12 to 1.41).

Late capitulations are also nothing new for Ten Hag.

Since the start of 2022-23, United have lost more Premier League games thanks to goals scored in the 90th minute (+ stoppage time) than any other side (six); they had only lost two such games in the first 30 campaigns in the competition combined.

Fabian Hurzeler hailed "special" Joao Pedro after the forward scored a late winner for Brighton and Hove Albion against Manchester United.

Joao Pedro converted Simon Adingra's back-post cross in the 95th minute to earn Brighton a 2-1 victory in Saturday's Premier League contest.

The Brazil international's goal came after Alejandro Garnacho had an effort ruled out by VAR at 1-1 as Albion went on to make it two wins from two this season.

Danny Welbeck had earlier opened the scoring for Brighton with 32 minutes played, before Amad Diallo's leveller on the hour mark.

Asked about Joao Pedro's last-gasp winner, Hurzeler told BBC Sport: "I think Joao is a player who can decide the game with one action. 

"For me, it was impressive today how he worked against the ball. He had the belief he would score and that's something that makes him special." 

No player on the Amex Stadium pitch managed more than Joao Pedro's two shots on target - level with team-mate Welbeck.

He accumulated an expected goals (xG) value of 0.52, with this his third goal in four league meetings with Manchester United.

Brighton have now won back-to-back games to begin the Premier League campaign, having eased to a 3-0 win at Everton last weekend.

Hurzeler has therefore started his tenure with successive victories and felt his side were good value for their latest win over Man United.

"It was a very emotional [win]," he said. "Always when you get the win in the last minute it is. I think we deserved to win.

"We had a good game, not a perfect game. There were also situations where United had the chance to win the game.

"After their offside goal, I think we started to control the game again. In the end, I think we deserved to win."

Only Manchester City (eight) have won more Premier League games against Man United than Brighton (seven) since the start of 2017-18.

Hurzeler added: "I'm very proud of the team. They showed the value of never giving up and that's very important to me."

Joao Pedro scored a stoppage-time winner to snatch a 2-1 win for Brighton over Manchester United at the Amex Stadium.

It looked like the points were set to be shared after Joshua Zirkzee was denied a winner, but Fabian Hurzeler's men dug deep to continue their winning start to the Premier League.

Amad Diallo had restored parity after Danny Welbeck's first-half strike, with Marcus Rashford and Zirkzee both having goals ruled out for offside.

But it was Joao Pedro who proved the difference in the end as he snuck in behind United's defence to head past Andre Onana in the 95th minute.

Brighton remain top of the early standings after two wins on six points, while United are in eighth, with rivals Liverpool next on the horizon for them.

Data Debrief: Welbeck haunts former club

While it was Joao Pedro who ultimately sealed the win for Brighton, Welbeck certainly made his mark against his former employers.

His first-half strike was the 100th goal of his club career in all competitions, while he's only scored more against West Ham (seven) than he has against United (six).

As for the Red Devils, they have lost more Premier League games thanks to goals in the 90th minute (plus stoppage time) than any other side (six) since 2022-23 - they had only lost two such games in the first 30 campaigns in the competitions combined. 

Erik ten Hag thinks Alejandro Garnacho has the X factor to become a world-class player at Manchester United, but claims the winger "has a long way to go."

The 20-year-old has quickly become a favourite of Manchester United fans, having enjoyed an impressive 2023-24 campaign.

Garnacho scored 10 goals in all competitions, including seven in the Premier League and also supplied four assists in 30 starts.

He has continued that form into this season, scoring against Manchester City in the Community Shield and coming off the bench to assist Joshua Zirkzee’s winner against Fulham in United's Premier League opener.

Despite this, Garnacho was again named on the bench for Manchester United’s trip to Brighton on Saturday and his manager insists there is plenty to do to elevate his game.