Manchester United defeated Brighton 2-0 in their final Premier League game of the season, thanks to goals from Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Hojlund and here is what we learned from it.
Dalot Caps A Good Season With A Goal
Man United struggled against Brighton in the first half and that then moved to be a full hour, with the hosts having numerous chances, some of them blocked on the goal line and some of them brilliantly stopped by Andre Onana. But it was Man United who got into the lead with a fine finish from Diogo Dalot after 73 minutes of play. It was a good way for the Portuguese full-back to cap off a good individual season for him. Dalot was one of the more consistent performers at Man United this season and a goal in the final league match of the campaign is a good way to remind everyone of that.
Hojlund Strikes Again
As he did against Newcastle, Rasmus Hojlund repeated the trick against Brighton too. He started the match on the bench, only this time he got full 30 minutes of action, coming on for Bruno Fernandes. Hojlund then went on to score again, once more netting the goal which put the game to bed. Not only did the Dane score in consecutive matches for the first time since February, but he did so in style, getting past his markers in a confident move, showing those glimpses which made everyone believe he could be the striker to build the team around next season.
Was This Ten Hag’s Final Premier League Match?
Despite this win, Manchester United finish their worst-ever Premier League campaign in eighth place with a negative goal-difference. Add to that crashing out of a weak Champions League group as the worst team and with record-breaking number of goals conceded, and you can see why this could have been Erik Ten Hag’s final Premier League match as the Man United manager. It remains to be seen what will the board do, there are some rumours of interest in other managers. The Dutchman’s second season was a disaster which could be only slightly saved by an FA Cup win next weekend, but considering the rivals will be Man City, that match could even be Ten Hag’s last ever on a Man United bench.
Man United Have To Win The FA Cup
That is one of the reasons why Man United must win the FA Cup. For one, that could be Ten Hag’s only saving card ahead of a turbulent summer. The manager got a number of players he wanted to pursuit, the club overpaid on almost all of them, and despite the numerous injuries which made things hard for him, the performances this season have been far below what is expected of any Man United team. Then there is the fact that if United do not beat City at Wembley next Saturday, they will not play in any UEFA competitions next season. It is either Europa League or free midweeks for United next season and the seventh-placed Newcastle will be waiting for the news from London to see if they are to play in the Conference League.
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