David de Gea
Could have better protected his area when he parried the ball to Pascal Gross, who tapped in to make it 2-0. 5
Diogo Dalot
Started shakily and failed to maintain his propitious pre-season form. Rallied when United brought Cristiano Ronaldo on and contributed to the goal. 5
Harry Maguire
Had audible backing from the matchgoers and started well but played Danny Welbeck onside to cross for Gross to make it 1-0. Carried the ball forward regularly. 6
Read more: Erik ten Hag orders change of pre-match preparation
Lisandro Martinez
Began impressively but then displayed careless passing and positioning. Booked and fortunate not to concede a penalty. 5
Luke Shaw
Fortunate to start ahead of Tyrell Malacia and was out of sync at both ends. So off the pace the crowd had to advise him and booked. 4
Scott McTominay
Encapsulated United's midfield malaise in a microcosm when he needed six touches in the final third, overran the ball and was carded. Fortunate to have lasted 77 minutes. 3
Fred
Positioned deep, he was uncomfortable against Brighton's intense frontline and failed to impose himself. Sacrificed for Cristiano Ronaldo. 4
Bruno Fernandes
Missed a gilt-edged chance at 0-0 that was costly as Brighton capitalised up the other end. Not really aligned with Ten Hag's approach but corner forced the own goal. 4
Christian Eriksen
Played some elegant passes but his role as the centre forward was a misguided experiment that backfired. Had some influence from a deeper role. 6
Jadon Sancho
Like Dalot, failed to sustain his friendly form. Had plenty of the ball in the second-half yet did little of note with it. 5
Marcus Rashford
Did not get going from the left wing and guilty of committing unforced errors. Failed to convert two glaring opportunities. 4
Subs
Cristiano Ronaldo
Lifted the players and the crowd and fashioned a chance for Rashford that would have counted had it gone in. 6
Donny van de Beek
Had some decent moments. 6
Alejandro Garnacho
Late arrival. N/A
Anthony Elanga
Late arrival. N/A
Tyrell Malacia
Late arrival and gave away a foul. N/A
Manager
It was a bold call to play Eriksen up top and it backfired. Adjusted the team by sending Ronaldo on and playing Eriksen deeper that sparked an improvement. Should have been more proactive with substitutions. 4
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