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Manchester United struggled but managed to beat Brighton and Hove Albion 2-0 in their final match of the 2023/24 Premier League season.
Second-half goals from Diogo Dalot and substitute Rasmus Hojlund were enough to secure victory for United and take all three points.
However, the result was not enough for United to qualify for European competition through the league, as they finished in eighth place, the club’s lowest finish in the top flight’s history.
The only chance the Red Devils have now is to beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final next weekend. If they somehow manage to pull it off, then they would get entry into the Europa League.
Against Brighton, United had less possession (45%) than the Seagulls (55%).
Erik ten Haag’s men managed just four shots on goal from their total of 11 shots on goal. In comparison, Brighton had 17 shots, but only three challenged Andrea Onana on goal.
United made 460 passes with a success rate of 85%. Brighton completed 547 passes with a completion rate of 90%.
One of the Reds’ better players at the Amex was Casemiro. He had a poor time at centre-back and was badly exposed in games against Crystal Palace and Arsenal.
However, on this occasion, Casemiro performed much better alongside Lisandro Martinez, who has just returned from injury.
The Brazilian recently spoke about his struggles in the center of United’s defense and admitted that it is not a role he particularly enjoys as he is most comfortable playing in the middle of the park.
There were no problems for him against Brighton.
Casemiro made five clearances and blocked the same number of shots from Brighton players. He also won five matches.
The five-time Champions League winner also made a key clearance early in the second half, which prevented the opposition from breaking the deadlock.
He won five out of ten duels on the field in which he entered. Unfortunately, he was not as dominant in the air. He lost both aerial challenges in which he participated.
Casemiro successfully delivered 52 of the 58 passes he attempted to find his teammates with, managing an individual pass accuracy of 90%.
He had 78 touches of the ball to his name.
Six of the 10 long balls the South American attempted to ping found their intended target.
(Statistics obtained from Sofascore)
It was certainly a much better display for Casemiro, who will take plenty of confidence into the Wembley FA Cup final.
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