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‘Quite shocking’: Journalist cannot believe what Man United defender did vs Brighton

Originally posted on Stretty News | Last updated Jan 11, 2026 1:42 PM ET

Manchester United have crashed out of the FA Cup after a 2-1 defeat at home to Brighton.

They were trailing 2-0, but Benjamin Sesko gave them a route back into the game with a goal in the 85th minute. However, Manchester United failed to build on that, and they were eventually beaten.

Brighton were undoubtedly the better team across the two halves, and they thoroughly deserve their place in the next round of the competition. Manchester United are already out of the English League Cup, and the exit from the FA Cup more or less confirms that this will be another trophy-less season for them.

There were several disappointing performances on the pitch for Manchester United, but James Ducker from The Telegraph was left bewildered by the performance of Patrick Dorgu, who played a key role in the second goal for the away side.

It is quite shocking the time Dorgu affords Gruda there to pass to Welbeck, who just loves playing against his old club. 0-2 Brighton #mufc #bhafc

— James Ducker (@TelegraphDucker) January 11, 2026

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The Manchester United fullback allowed Brajan Gruda time at the edge of the box to pick his pass and find Danny Welbeck, who scored a stunning goal to double Brighton’s advantage. Ducker feels that the Manchester United defender should have closed him down and made it difficult for him to pick out his teammate at the edge of the box.

Manchester United have been quite mediocre at the back this season, and their poor decision-making and lack of effort were evident against Brighton once again.

The exit from the FA cup will attract further criticism for them, and it remains to be seen whether the players can cope with that. They are already without a permanent manager after Ruben Amorim was sacked. They have been linked with multiple names in recent days, and it remains to be seen whether INEOS can bring in a quality to study the ship.

This article first appeared on Stretty News and was syndicated with permission.

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