Man United just lost to Brighton at home in the 3rd round of the FA Cup, marking the first time since the 1981-1982 season that the "Red Devils" were eliminated from 2 domestic cups (FA Cup and League Cup) after only the first match.
The defeat to Grimsby Town left countless disappointments for the team's fans, especially in a season that seemed to be recovering in the hands of Ruben Amorim. When the Portuguese coach was just sacked, Man United drew Burnley in the Premier League and lost to Brighton in the FA Cup. The Old Trafford stands last night witnessed a terrifying silence because the fans' disappointment was too great.
Darren Fletcher's time as interim coach did not bring improvements in the short term like the time of Ruud van Nistelrooy (2024) and Michael Carrick (2021). The U18 team coach played for Man United with a 4-defender formation, but many problems that had haunted Amorim and Erik ten Hag before continued.
Man United were not strong enough to penetrate the defense of high-intensity pressing teams, a Premier League specialty like Brighton. They did not pass the ball with the speed and accuracy needed to stretch the opponent's defense. The first touches were often not good and rarely created second touches to continue the attack. The Old Trafford home team also did not defend well enough to stop the opponent and keep them away from Senne Lammens' goal.
This is the 3rd consecutive season that Man United has bottomed out in terms of achievements. The victory in the FA Cup 2024 final has covered up the disappointment with 8th place in the Premier League (the lowest position in the tournament era). After that, Man United failed in the Europa League 2025 final and only ranked 15th in the Premier League. The Red Devils give fans the feeling that the goal of winning the Premier League in 2028 is very unrealistic. INEOS's 150 project is considered a joke and Sir Jim has not yet been able to bring outstanding figures to the club.
Sir Jim, from a boss capable of saving the club, has now become a bad name in the eyes of fans. A protest banner aimed at him was hung in the stands of Stretford End right after the final whistle of the match against Brighton, conveying the message that, at least a part of the fans no longer believe him. The "1958" fan club said they were extremely angry and planned to organize a protest march before the match against Fulham on February 1.
Man United is falling into a vortex of bad and unlucky things. Any unnecessary mistakes are punished in the harshest way, while too many of their good plays are missed unfortunately in front of the opponent's goal. Darren Fletcher is not capable enough but it cannot be denied that he is too unlucky.
Fletcher is likely to leave his interim position immediately after the match against Brighton and be replaced by Michael Carrick, who was revealed by the British media to have surpassed Ole Solskjaer in Manchester United's shortlist. This is the time INEOS needs stability and assigns the next person the ultimate task of winning a ticket to the Champions League next season.
However, whether it's Carrick or Ole, how will Man United handle the upcoming 2 matches against Arsenal and Manchester City? Will this last remaining ambition be realized when all opponents in the Premier League at this time are capable of defeating them?
