Gary Neville blames Man Utd star for Brighton winner following Erik ten Hag error

Gary Neville has pointed the finger at Casemiro for Manchester United's devastating last-minute loss to Brighton, criticizing Erik ten Hag for what he perceives as a wasted first half in their Premier League match.

Joao Pedro nodded home a dramatic winner in the 95th minute at the AMEX Stadium to make it two wins from two for the Seagulls this season.

Danny Welbeck had given the hosts the lead in the first-half with Amad Diallo levelling up. United saw a second ruled out after Joshua Zirkzee invertedly bundled Alejandro Garnacho’s effort over the line from an offside position.

United defended appallingly for Brighton’s winner with Pedro nodding home completely unmarked in the six yard area.

Four players, Diogo Dalot, Lisandro Martinez, Kobbie Mainoo and Noussair Mazraoui, swarmed around Simon Adingra as he swung in a pinpoint cross but Neville also identified Casemiro’s lack of concentration as a major factor in the goal.

The former United captain was surprised to see Zirkzee left out of the starting XI after the Dutchman came off the bench to score the winner on his debut against Fulham last week.

While ten Hag brought on his summer signing at half-time to replace Mason Mount, Neville believes it was a mistake not including Zirkzee from the start.

‘Really depressing end to the game,’ Neville told NBC Sports. ‘To lose the game, it puts an awful lot of pressure, I think, on Erik ten Hag and on towards the game next week against Liverpool.

‘I think the first half of the game, I don’t think any of us were surprised. It’s very difficult to play football without a centre-forward. You need a focal point up front. He corrected that at half-time by bringing Zirkzee on, but you’ve already wasted 45 minutes in the match and that’s a real problem.’

Assessing Brighton’s late winner, Neville added: ‘Then in the second half, the first goal as well was poor defensively, that last goal, I’ve just watched it then coming up to the gantry. When you clear from a corner, you’ve got to still defend as you’re defending the second phase of a corner.

‘I think particularly if you watch Casemiro, it looks to me, I’ve only watched it once back on the replay, it looks like he leaves his position at that back post and runs back towards central midfield.

‘But then it leaves an acre of space in that back zone where there are three Brighton players queuing up. Lack of concentration, lack of focus and it does put some pressure on them.’

Ten Hag also bemoaned his side’s reckless defending so late in the contest, believing at least three of his players guilty of misreading the situation.

‘We didn’t stop the cross,’ Ten Hag said. ‘There were three players. [Adingra is a] right-footed player, send him down the line, send him wide instead of letting him come in and let the cross.

‘We have of course, to talk about this. How we act in that situation as a team. So they are aware of more than one mistake in that occasion that has a big impact on the score.’