Luke Shaw believes Manchester United paid the price for their poor finishing in their last-gasp defeat against Brighton on Thursday night.
Alexis Mac Allister put a penalty into the top corner in the 99th minute to settle the Premier League game 1-0 for the hosts. The spot-kick came after Shaw handballed while under pressure from a corner.
United mustered five shots on target against the Seagulls, but couldn’t find a way past Jason Steele. The Brighton keeper saved at his near post from Marcus Rashford and kept out an effort from Anthony Martial in the first half as United failed to score for the third time in their past three games in all competitions.
“I know the problem, we know the problem: the problem is we don’t score,” Shaw told Sky Sports. “In the first half we had three or four big chances that we should be scoring. I think that’s happened a lot of times this season.
“But then again it comes down to my mistake at the end, but the chances we had we have to be scoring these goals. The game is completely different if we score early on with the chances we do make.
“Just not clinical enough. I don’t really know what else to say to that. It’s disappointing I lost us a point at the end, but if you look at the first-half we could have been 3-0 up.”
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United had the better chances in the first half, but could easily have found themselves 1-0 down. Kaoru Mitoma smashed a shot at David de Gea’s face when a simple square pass would have set up a tap-in for Solly March.
The United keeper also had to tip Mac Allister’s long-range shot around the post in the second half before Shaw’s mistake settled things. The England international, who was playing at centre-back once again, was punished after VAR spotted his handball.
“It hurts a lot. Last minute. Last action, I think I got a little nudge but the hand shouldn’t be there,” he admitted. “I own up to it, take it on the chin, it cost us the game. It’s tough. I can’t even explain why my arm’s up there. I said I got a nudge, maybe that helped my arm go up, but still it shouldn’t be there.
“Even before the corner, the free-kick that was given away before that was never a foul. I’m not looking for excuses for what I’ve done, but there’s no way that should have been a foul that led to the corner.
“Maybe that corner should never have happened. But I can’t change that. I’m not accusing the ref of anything, but for me it wasn’t a foul before, but hands up, silly mistake that cost us a point.”
