Stats Talk: How Brighton dented Ten Hag’s managerial record

Manchester United’s 1-0 Premier League loss to Brighton on Thursday saw Erik ten Hag register an unwanted record.

The Seagulls claimed a late win when Alexis Mac Allister scored from the spot to send his team to sixth place on the table.

The loss not only dented Ten Hag’s managerial record but also jeopardized United’s Champions League hopes.

The Red Devils were hoping to consolidate their place in the top four, but Andre Mariner, after he was sent to monitor the VAR, awarded the home side a late penalty following Luke Shaw’s handball.

Meanwhile, Brighton are the first team to record a league double over a team managed by Ten Hag since AZ beat Ajax twice in 2019-20 in the Eredivisie, according to Opta Stats.

Mac Allister's winning penalty, scored in the 99th minute of the game, was the latest penalty scored in a Premier League match since Bruno Fernandes' for United against Brighton in September 2020 (99:45).

Kaoru Mitoma had 15 touches in Manchester United's box, the joint-most by a Brighton player in a Premier League match ever, level with Leandro Trossard in January 2021 vs Fulham.

After the match, the Dutch manager said his side lost focus and failed to make use of their chances.

"In the first minute, we create a great chance, but we do not score, so we have to be more clinical with the chances that we create in the first half," Ten Hag said as quoted by Sky Sports.

"We had the chances, clearly. Antony, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, and Casemiro. One has to go in. But if you cannot win it because you do not take your chances, do not lose it. We gave away a goal, maybe we lost a little bit of focus. That cannot happen."

For the game, the former Ajax manager made four changes to the team that beat Aston Villa. Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Fred, Antony, and Anthony Martial started as Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, Jadon Sancho, and Marcel Sabitzer, were dropped.

The win means Brighton managed to avenge their FA Cup semi-final penalty shoot-out defeat to United.