Manchester United have a problem playing away from Old Trafford with Erik ten Hag in charge and it's no longer under the radar.
United have taken just a single point from their fixtures on the road against the Premier League's top nine sides. That record appears even worse when manipulated further, as they have only defeated Fulham and Wolves outside the bottom five clubs.
That is not good enough. This team has made tremendous progress this season, but they've become flat-track bullies, which has been emphasised by their brutal performances on the road against Manchester City, Liverpool and Newcastle.
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United have played all of the traditional 'Big Six' clubs away from home and they have not won a game. They have played City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham in away fixtures and just two points have been taken from that run.
The manner in which those two points were secured adds to the concern. The point against Chelsea in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge was won through a dramatic, last-minute Casemiro equaliser, whilst the game was thrown away against Tottenham.
Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford fired the side to a well-deserved 2-0 lead at half-time in that match in North London, but Spurs were allowed back into the game after the interval and they clawed back the deficit to share the points.
Ten Hag described that result against Tottenham as a 'good draw' and within the context of the entire season, it was far from a disaster, however, it was another reminder of the players' mentality flaw when on the road.
There might actually be some truth in the '2-0 is a dangerous lead' cliché, but the reality is the away form is a problem. Ten Hag has played down results on the road for most of the season but he cannot ignore it anymore.
When the pressure is increased, this team tends to struggle. They can be unnerved by raucous atmospheres, like against Newcastle at St. James' Park or against Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium, and it must be addressed.
Brighton would have been aware of this fragility and Roberto De Zerbi appeared to ask his players for more of the same when footage fwithin the dressing room at half-time was shown on Sky Sports on Thursday night.
As they have done all season, United lacked intensity after the restart and the momentum turned in Brighton's favour. They were the better side in the second half and they deserved the win, despite the cruel circumstances in which it was achieved.
Although Luke Shaw had been exceptional until giving away a penalty and the foul in the build-up to the goal was dubious, the players underwhelmed after half-time and Brighton were eventually value for their win.
Brighton are an excellent side and De Zerbi has done a fine job since replacing Graham Potter, but they were shown too much respect in the second half. Ten Hag wants his team to play on the front foot and yet they were passive.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of playing Brighton, Ten Hag was asked about results away from Old Trafford and he replied by insisting he does not think about away or home form, merely that he wants to win every game.
Considering the 53-year-old is known for his desire to strive for perfection, that answer might not strictly be true. Ten Hag will understand the away results must improve because otherwise, his rebuild will not progress much further.
United have been outstanding at Old Trafford this season. Only Liverpool, Arsenal and City have a better home record and that has given Ten Hag a superb platform to work from, but the next challenge is to improve on the road.
If the away form is not addressed, it seems the ceiling of what this team can achieve will be set lower than hoped.
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