Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick issues apology to supporters for the team’s display against Brighton

Speaking after his side’s 4-0 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium last night (h/t Daily Mail), Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick has apologised to the travelling fans for their dismal display against the Seagulls.

United failed to put up any fight against Graham Potter’s men, who took the lead in the first half through Moises Caicedo after their opponents failed to clear the ball away. Brighton would go on to score three more goals in the second half, resulting in a brilliant home win.

Rangnick reflected on the game and said that it was important to apologise to their supporters who came all the way from Manchester. The German believed that their display was not only poor, but extremely poor, and was lucky at half-time to enter the dressing room with a 1-0 scoreline.

“It is important to apologise to our supporters. They came all the way from Manchester and we just weren’t good enough. It was not only poor, it was extremely poor. At half-time the only good thing is it was only 1-0.”

The result extinguished all of the Manchester side’s Champions League qualification hopes. With just one more game to go, it is highly unlikely that they can pip Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur to fourth place. The north London sides also have more games in hand to play and pull further ahead.

“It is not only the 4-0 it is how we played”

This was United’s fifth straight away loss, which is a reflection of just how poor the team have been this season. After the highs of a 3-0 win against Brentford earlier in the week, Rangnick’s men fell to a heavy defeat against high-flying Brighton yesterday.

The former RB Leipzig manager compared last night’s loss to the club’s 4-1 defeat to Watford earlier in the campaign, saying that these are the kind of results that happen if one does not defend properly against good teams. He also said that this was the second-highest defeat in his career as a coach.

“I remember watching Watford away (a 4-1 defeat) and this looked similar. If you play good teams and do not defend properly, this is the result. It was a humiliating defeat and the second highest defeat in my career as a coach. It is not only the 4-0 it is how we played.”

In what was a must-win game to keep their hopes alive of qualifying for the Champions League, United failed to get going from the very beginning. The players looked lethargic and unable to keep up with Brighton’s energy and free-flowing attack.

What was most surprising was the fact that this was the same starting lineup that played against Brentford at home earlier in the week, and put in a convincing performance on the pitch to dispatch the Bees back to London in a 3-0 win.

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It is hard to imagine how the same team that won 3-0 in their previous game loses 4-0 to another Premier League team within the space of a few weeks. This inconsistency and lethargy from the players have mostly been the club’s undoing this term, failing to break into the top four of the points table.

With just one game left to be played, Rangnick will be hoping that his team can bounce back from this and see out the season with a win and end on a good note. One more away game now awaits the Red Devils, and the players will need to pull up their socks to ensure that the supporters don’t head back home with another defeat to endure.