Brighton take on Manchester United and the officials on opening day

They say that bad luck and refereeing decisions even themselves out over a season. Brighton opening their 2022-23 Premier League campaign at Manchester United should mean that the remaining 37 matches all go in the Albion’s favour, given the wretched officiating suffered at the hands of the Red Devils since promotion to the top flight in 2017.

Remember the 97th minute penalty awarded by VAR after the final whistle to give United a 3-2 win at the Amex in September 2020?

Or how about Harry Maguire escaping a red card for pulling back Danny Welbeck when Dat Guy was set to tap a Neal Maupay cross into an empty net the following April?

Then there was Brighton’s last visit to the Theatre of Dreams. You remember. When Lewis Dunk was booked, United players led by Cristiano Ronaldo surrounded the referee, convinced him to look at the pitch side monitor, and the yellow card was upgraded to a red?

United were fined £20,000 for failing to control their players. That was absolutely no consolation to the Seagulls, who not only went onto lose the game because of it but also their next five in a row as 2021-22 season threatened to end with a whimper.

Things famously picked up before the end. Especially when United visited the Amex in the penultimate home game. Revenge is a dish best served cold and Brighton heaping total embarrassment on the mighty Manchester United by hammering them 4-0 went someway towards making up for the luckless experience matches with the Red Devils tend to be.

A first ever victory at Old Trafford might finally banish the ghosts of all those bad decisions from officials. 13 times the Albion have visited the Theatre of Dreams and their best ever result is a 1-1 draw from Saturday 19th March 1983, secured via a Steve Gatting goal.

Keep it quiet, but this looks like a golden opportunity to get the monkey off Brighton’s back. United appointed former Ajax chief Erik ten Hag as their boss in the summer, replacing Ralf Rangnick. Apparently, Rangnick used to play in the Sussex County League with Southwick. Who knew?!

Most normal clubs would be enjoying the new manager bounce. United though are no normal club. They are a total circus and as such, Ten Hag’s first few months at the helm have seen virtually no new signings. He is working with the same players who underperformed for Rangnick, the former Southwick player.

Even more damaging has been the speculation surrounding the future of Ronaldo, which has made the Marc Cucurella Transfer Saga appear relatively sane and straightforward.

Ronaldo wants to leave because he does not believe United will win trophies. United will not sell him because they will look bloody stupid after bringing him back amid such fanfare a year ago.

That and he sells too much merchandise, an area more important than team harmony and on-the-pitch results to the powers that be at Old Trafford in the year 2022.

Ronaldo walked out of Old Trafford at half time of last week’s friendly between United and Rayo Vallecano. Ten Hag called it “unacceptable”.

Even CR7’s biggest fanboy Gary Neville has been moved to offer light criticism of his former teammate. Neville questioning Ronaldo is the equivalent of a catholic walking up to the pope and slapping him around the face.

With his behaviour and agitation for a move, you would not expect Ronaldo to play for Manchester United against Brighton. Yet the hosts have no other forwards available and so Ten Hag may have his hand forced to start his wantaway start.

Those Brighton fans who do not like it when the Albion are on television and the pre-game punditry seems to forget we exist should probably not switch on Sky Sports until five minutes before kick off.

The Ronaldo issue is certain to be all that is talked about. And this is undoubtedly a good thing for Brighton as it focusses all the pressure and attention onto the hosts, who need to get off to a winning start. Otherwise, the Old Trafford crowd might turn nasty.

Nobody was talking about Brighton when Manchester United rocked up at the Amex in May. Why would they? The Albion had won only three home matches all season and in the eyes of the Premier League watching public, had little to play for other than a midtable finish.

Brighton came in under the radar that day and blew United away. Whilst you would need to have drunk some seriously strong beer in the pubs of Manchester beforehand to expect the same score, facing a dysfunctional United in the opening game of the season when there is a soap opera surrounding their star player gives the Albion a huge chance of victory.

Much will hinge on how Brighton cope without two of their best from last season. Yves Bissouma has gone to Spurs for £25 million and Cucurella completed his £62 million move to Chelsea on Friday. Neither has been replaced by incoming signings.

A combination of Alexis Mac Allister, Moises Caicedo and Pascal Gross made light of Bissouma’s absence in the 5-1 friendly win over Espanyol at the Amex last weekend.

Graham Potter meanwhile deployed Adam Webster as the left sided defender in a back three and Leandro Trossard at left wing back.

Trossard enjoyed his best run of form as a Brighton player in that role during the final eight games of 2022-23. The Vampire of Genk continued where he left off with a hat-trick in that final pre-season game.

Espanyol were admittedly not very good, but Trossard and Webster down the left gives hope that the sale of Cucurella need not be the disaster a lot of Albion fans are expecting.

Potter seems likely to go with the same starting XI who played last Saturday. Rumours abounded on Saturday night that Julio Enciso had not travelled north with the squad.

That would be a strange decision bearing in mind Potter has spoken so highly of the young Paraguayan and his performances in pre-season. A loan may yet beckon before the transfer window closes.

No Enciso would be a major talking point amongst Brighton fans. And we would be the only ones mentioning it.

Neville, Jamie Carragher, every other pundit at Old Trafford, 75,000 United fans and billions more across the world will all be focussing on Ronaldo, Ten Hag and how a new era at United contrasts with the old.

Little old Brighton? We are here to spoil the party.