da roleta： The last-gasp defeat at Brighton was Manchester United's eighth away defeat this season and many of them will give fans nightmares for years to come
da fezbet： Spare a thought for Manchester United's away fans this season. They have travelled all around the country to follow their team, parting with their hard-earned money and spending hundreds of hours away from their families. And time and time again, they have been treated to shambolic performances.
Alexis Mac Allister's 99th-minute penalty for Brighton inflicted a seventh away defeat on Erik ten Hag's side this season in the Premier League, and their eighth away loss in all competitions. Indeed, they've been particularly bad against the stronger teams, losing seven out of eight away matches against the top nine in the table.
The only top-nine team they haven't lost to away from home is Tottenham, and their 2-2 draw last month actually felt a bit like a defeat after squandering a two-goal advantage at half-time. From away matches against teams in the top 12 positions, they have picked up only six points from a potential 33. And they failed to win away at Chelsea, who are having one of their worst seasons in Premier League history, and could not win away to Patrick Vieira's Crystal Palace, when the Eagles were in relegation form.
GOAL ranks all of United's away defeats this season – strap yourself in, this is going to get ugly!
Getty8Arsenal 3-2 Man Utd: Nketiah header is a punch in the gut
After a resurgent run of form after Christmas, and a thrilling win over Manchester City, United briefly flirted with the thought of a title challenge when they travelled to league leaders Arsenal towards the end of January.
They took the lead through Marcus Rashford's thumping effort from outside the area, although Eddie Nketiah soon equalised later in the first half. Bukayo Saka pulled Arsenal in front after the break only for Lisandro Martinez to level, but it was the Gunners who showed more ambition to get all three points.
An Arsenal winner duly arrived in the 90th minute from a towering header by Nketiah and it felt like a punch in the gut after such a strong performance. But United could at least take heart from the fact they had held their own for much of the game against the top team in the league at the time. That's more than they can say about some of their other away defeats.
AdvertisementGetty Images7Brighton 1-0 Man Utd: The writing was on the wall
After losing at home to Brighton on the opening day of this season – and getting hammered 4-0 by the Seagulls last season – no one at United could have been feeling hugely optimistic about the trip to the Amex Stadium. And that was even after overcoming Brighton in the FA Cup semi-final on penalties.
Roberto De Zerbi's side had created the better chances at Wembley and they were also the better side here, even though Antony wasted a glorious chance to give United an early lead. The Red Devils had some positive spells, and Jason Steele had to make some good saves from Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes, but Brighton dominated the final few minutes.
The pressure paid off when Luke Shaw handled the ball and a VAR review spotted the infraction, allowing Mac Allister to smash home from the spot in the 99th minute, the latest goal United have ever conceded in the Premier League.
Getty6Aston Villa 3-1: A first defeat in 28 years
Villa Park has often proved a happy hunting ground for United over the years. Before this season, the Red Devils had not lost there since the opening day of the 1995-96 season with a team filled with youngsters, prompting Alan Hansen to infamously remark on Match of the Day that evening: "You'll win nothing with kids".
But Villa were fired up in their first game under Unai Emery following the sacking of Steven Gerrard and they blitzed United, taking an early lead from Leon Bailey and then doubling it with a cracking free-kick from Lucas Digne.
A deflected strike from Luke Shaw put United back into contention just before half-time. But they were sliced open by Villa again early in the second half, allowing Jacob Ramsey to ram home their third goal. United had no response this time.
Getty5Newcastle 2-0 Man Utd: Magpies avenge final defeat
The Red Devils had beaten Newcastle six weeks previously in the Carabao Cup final, but that just made the Magpies hungry for revenge at St James' Park. Newcastle were also extra motivated after Ten Hag had described them as "annoying" and criticised their propensity to time waste.
A daunting trip was made even more difficult as United were without the suspended Casemiro, and Newcastle controlled the match from the first minute to the last. They kept ripping the Red Devils apart down both wings and it was a miracle that the Magpies did not score until the 65th minute, such was their dominance.
Having missed two big chances in the first half, Joe Willock finally broke the deadlock by finishing off a slick move across United's box with a close-range header. Callum Wilson sealed the points with another header.
Newcastle were rampant but from a United point of view this was an abject 90 minutes, and Ten Hag, Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martinez all admitted afterwards that the team lacked passion and energy.