Three things we learned as clueless Man United crash out of Carabao Cup after spectacularly bad performance

Manchester United were back in action tonight, taking on Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford in a Carabao Cup third-round fixture.

Following a poor performance in the 1-0 Manchester derby defeat, marred by a controversial VAR call over the Erling Haaland goal, United would certainly have been eager to get back on the pitch and deliver a top performance.

They certainly needed to silence the doubters by getting their act together and taking care of Brighton.

Unfortunately, they failed to do so, surrendering a two-goal lead (established by Shea Lacey and Mason Mount) to lose 3-2 to a determined Brighton side.

There was plenty to unpack from this game. Here is what we learned:

Shea Lacey follows Rashford’s footsteps

Lacey was handed his first United start, and he proved his worth. He rose to the occasion, breaking the deadlock with a beautiful strike from his left foot.

Injuries have been a nightmare for him, but promising performances like the one he produced against Brighton remind many why he is a top talent, an absolute joy to watch.

Lacey is now the first teenager to score on his first start for United since 18-year-old Marcus Rashford scored against FC Midtjylland in February 2016.

Yoro-Heaven partnership

While Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro are tipped to be the future of United’s defence, this game showed they might not be ready to partner.

There were a lot of errors in their play, especially from Heaven. Yoro looked decent and stayed alert to thwart danger, picking up where he left off against Sabah.

Heaven, however, had a rough night and was caught off guard in several situations. Had the young Englishman been alert before Charalampos Kostoulis’s goal, he could have cut off the cross that the Greek striker converted.

Heaven’s performance was concerning; sitting on the bench has, in a way, left him short of rhythm. More game time, perhaps partnering United’s more experienced centre-backs, might help him find his feet.

Tielemans-Santos have not clicked as a pivot

The Youri Tielemans-Andrey Santos midfield once again struggled as it did versus Hull City. Their individual quality is there, but together the team lacks control, with zero movement and zero fluidity; they look static.

A Tielemans-Mainoo pivot has served Carrick well, while a Mount-Santos pairing has also shown promise. For now, Carrick would be wise to keep switching between the two before Carlos Baleba arrives and changes the dynamic.

That said, losing to the Seagulls and exiting the Carabao Cup was not the response expected after last weekend’s derby disappointment.

It ought to serve as a clear wake-up call to the Red Devils that all is not well and that something must change before Sunday’s clash with Fulham.

Featured image by Molly Darlington via Getty Images