Dario Vidošić says “we were probably unlucky not to score a couple more” after Manchester United defeat

Brighton fell 3-2 at home to Manchester United in a fast-paced game that saw the best and the worst of the Seagulls.

Following the defeat, Seagulls manager Dario Vidošić highlighted the role of decision-making in the final third.

“We are trying to teach young players that haven’t played an awful lot – they’re still trying to learn,” he said, adding that “we are getting the press wrong. I think they are maybe overthinking it a little bit, thinking about closing passing lanes instead of just going out and putting pressure on.”

Going forward, Vidošić suggested his team were struggling to time their passes right, tending to go “a little bit too early”. He summarised that “we were just lacking in that decision making especially at those critical times.”

Reflecting on the potential reasons for this uncharacteristic lack of sharpness, Vidošić highlighted the role of the football calendar: many of his players have just returned from their national teams; some players travelled a long way.

“I think fatigue plays a part – like Mo [Moeka Minami] has gone away with the national team, played, then travelled all the way back,” he surmised, revealing that “towards the end, just that fatigue and that sort of accumulation of the weeks leading in where we’ve been very thin.”

The Seagulls have also been hit by injuries, such as to England’s Michelle Agyemang , who suffered an ACL tear in the Lionesses’ match against Australia . This has meant Vidošić has had to problem solve, such as with Minami’s position.

“We’ve put her as a left back, then she’s gone as a left winger and now she’s gone back to left back,” he said, adding that “we try to juggle players as much as possible”.

Throughout the first half, United grew in the dominance that culminated in their opener. Vidošić was critical of his side’s first 45: “The first half was not good from us, we were sort of passive” – although they did create chances, Brighton lacked quality in the final third.

“It’s frustrating but we did create a lot of chances, we were probably unlucky not to score a couple more.”

After United added a second and managed their own minutes by withdrawing Ella Toone and Julia Zigiotti Olme, Vidošić’s side got back into the game. The head coach was pleased by the resurgence: “In the second half, we got better, we controlled the game a bit more, played it more on our terms.”

Fran Kirby scored her second goal of the season, drawing praise from Vidošić: “She is terrific. She was really good today, and she gives you that sort of quality. You can give the ball to her, she’ll keep it, she can turn, she absorbs pressure really well and understands her role to a tee.”