Manchester United have only the Premier League to play for from the middle of January until the end of the season after they were dumped out of the FA Cup by Brighton at Old Trafford.
This season is seriously threatening to become as disastrous as the previous one with the 2-0 defeat on Sunday meaning the Red Devils have been knocked out of both domestic competitions at the first hurdle, with no European football on offer.
United entertained Brighton in the FA Cup, with this fixture cropping up regularly in the recent years since the Seagulls' promotion to the top-flight. The Reds were desperate for a cup run given their embarrassing exit at the hands of Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup and last year's shocking league finish and Europa League final means no European football has been played at Old Trafford this season. Premier League football had been the sole focus, because it's been the only competition United have played in for four months.
Darren Fletcher fielded a strong side in what looks set to be his final game as interim manager, and given Fabian Hurzeler's defensive changes, rotating captain Lewis Dunk and Jan Paul van Hecke for Diego Coppola and Olivier Boscagli, who have just eight [Premier League](https://www.dailystar.co.uk/latest/premier-league) appearances between them, the home fans must have thought they were heading for a welcome cup run when Diogo Dalot raced through on goal just minutes into the match, but his effort was well saved by backup keeper Jason Steele.
Dalot saw another sight of goal just minutes later before Bruno Fernandes forced Steele into another smart stop from distance. But just as happened at Burnley, United couldn't make their early pressure tell and went behind when Brajan Gruda fired home from close range from a rebound.
The German was allowed plenty of space after Patrick Dorgu switched off from the inital cross. The 21-year-old joined United in a £25million deal last January, seen as a specialist left-wing-back in Ruben Amorim's system.
But with Fletcher deploying him at left-back in a back four, and possible interim appointments Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick favouring a back four in their previous tactical setups, Dorgu will have to prove his defensive ability to keep his promising Old Trafford career alive. Huge questions marks still remain over Dalot's quality in possession after the right-back's early miss and wastefulness on the ball in advanced positions.
United dominated the ball in the first-half and had three times the amount of shots on goal as their south coast opponents, but they never looked like scoring before boos were heard when the half-time whistle was blown.
Fernandes was again central to everything the hosts looked to do, with Cunha again busy cutting in off the left but lacking quality that has not come consistently during his early Old Trafford career. Meanwhile, it was a half to forget for Benjamin Sesko as nothing stuck for the big striker.
Mason Mount also struggled to impact the game from a starting role out on the right before he was substituted on the hour mark. With just one central attacking midfield role in Fletcher's 4-2-3-1 system, concerns will emerge again about his ability to command a starting role. Under Amorim, Mount enjoyed his best football at Old Trafford as one of the two attacking midfielders behind the striker, but that position simply doesn't exist without a wing-back system, and Mount certainly won't get the nod in the No.10 role over Fernandes.
Kobbie Mainoo was United's best player in the first-half with the England international looked composed and forward-thinking in possession, a shame the same couldn't be said for his midfield partner Manuel Ugarte, who has a mammoth job to convince he is good enough to be a United player under a third permanent manger.
United failed to pick their level up in the second half, seeing Fletcher proactively change to an attacking 4-1-4-1 formation, with Joshua Zirkzee introduced to partner Fernandes in front of Ugarte. But it took just two minutes for United to be carved open again as Danny Welbeck returned to haunt his former club.
The veteran striker ghosted away from Ugarte and Leny Yoro before blasting a left-footed strike into the roof of the net. Furious groans sounded from the home fans and left United a mountain to climb they never looked like tackling until Sesko powered in a header from a corner in the 85th minute.
For the first time in the game Old Trafford was on its feet and roared the team forward. The occasion proved to be too big for Lacey, as he was sent off via a second yellow card after petulantly throwing the ball in frustration having given away a foul.
It doesn't get any easy for United with Manchester City to head across town to next Saturday before they travel to league leaders Arsenal the following Sunday. By then, the United hierarchy should have appointed their interim boss to secure Champions League football and save a second successive season from becoming an unmitigated disaster.