At times like this, the temptation is to make comparisons with the past, but there really aren't any. The Manchester United that graced Denis Law feels about as far from the modern incarnation as possible.
United fans paid tribute to the King, who died on Friday aged 84, and then watched as United played like paupers. The only parallel that can be drawn with the Law era and this disaster of a team is that United look closer to relegation from the top flight than at any time since 1974. United have had their worst start to a season in 131 years since 1893. 94 when they were known as Newton Heath.
This was the sixth defeat in nine Premier League games. If not for Amad Diallo's heroic hat-trick against bottom club Southampton here on Thursday, it would have been seven defeats. “You thought you were back, but you're still shit,” sang the jubilant visiting fans.
United were a disaster again. Brighton were as bad as they were good. The Seagulls took the lead thanks to Yankuba Minteh's opening goal and earned a deserved victory thanks to second-half goals from Kaoru Mitoma and Georginio Rutter after Bruno Fernandes equalized from the penalty spot.
We really shouldn't be surprised by these headlines anymore. This was Brighton's third consecutive league victory at Old Trafford, equaling a feat only achieved by Manchester City. They have now won six of their last seven league games against United.
After Thursday's comeback win over the Saints, Ruben Amorim urged his players to achieve back-to-back wins for the first time since the end of last season, which included that one-off victory over Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
Manchester United have lost six games in their last nine in the Premier League.
Brighton deserved their victory and quelled any optimism United felt after their midweek comeback against Southampton.
It was a day to forget for André Onana as his mistake led to Georginio Rutter's decisive goal.
“There is no better feeling than winning and the confidence that fills you when you start to build a sequence of victories,” wrote the United coach, who called up Harry Maguire, Joshua Zirkzee and Diogo Dalot to his starting line-up. 'As a team we need to develop that feeling and become addicted to it.
'Since my arrival in Manchester, all the best performances I have seen from the team so far have had the same characteristics: desire, energy and commitment. “Our best performances so far have been produced away from home and I want us to start showing our authority here at Old Trafford.”
If Amorim hoped his players would get the message, it seemed to have fallen on deaf ears five minutes into the game after a well-deserved tribute to Law.
It came from a simple ball over Carlos Baleba who released Mitoma on the left. Noussair Mazraoui had lost track of his man and Maguire was playing him. Mitoma could have done it alone, but he selflessly passed the ball to Minteh to score from close range. The goal meant that United have not kept a clean sheet in 12 games in all competitions.
The home team shook off the initial blow and came close to equalizing when Diallo took the ball away from Mitoma and fired a powerful shot at Yasin Ayari with a pass into the area. Zirkzee dodged the ball, but Fernandes missed a shot from 10 yards past Bart Verbruggen's left post.
However, United equalized six minutes later when Fernandes converted a penalty. Verbruggen made a pass to Ayari, but Diallo anticipated it and ambushed the Swede with a well-timed tackle. The ball raced towards Zirkzee in front of goal and in his desperation to prevent a goal, Baleba hooked the United striker around the neck and dragged him to the ground. The only surprise was that referee Peter Bankes took so long to point out the spot. Fernandes sent Verbruggen the wrong way and we were all tied.
Brighton threatened again before the break when Diogo Dalot did enough to deny former United striker Danny Welbeck in front of goal, and thought they had regained the lead eight minutes after the restart.
It was a disaster from the moment Ayari slipped while taking a free kick into the box. The ball floated until Joao Pedro controlled it and moved away from Zirkzee before shooting through Oanna's legs. However, United protested that Jan Paul van Hecke had kicked Dalot after the United defender cleared the ball, and the referee agreed once he was advised to check it on the VAR monitor.
Yankuba Minteh opened the scoring after just five minutes, preventing United from keeping a clean sheet for the 12th consecutive match.
Bruno Fernandes tied the hosts with a penalty at the beginning of the first half.
Joao Pedro had a goal disallowed at the start of the second half after a foul by Jan Paul van Hecke in the build-up.
Kaoru Mitoma restored Brighton's well-deserved lead and became the highest-scoring Japanese star in Premier League history
Rutter took advantage of Onana's howl to give Brighton a light and set them on their way to a comfortable victory.
Brighton, however, did not have to wait much longer to score. Ayari quickly passed Manuel Ugarte in midfield and played a deflected pass to Minteh on the right. He clipped a wonderful cross to the back post where Mitoma had once again stolen a yard from Mazraoui and stretched out a leg to push home when the Moroccan collided with the post in his attempts to keep it out.
Mitoma's 15th Premier League goal means he has overtaken Shinji Okazaki as Japan's top scorer in the competition's history.
Amorim took off his midfield tandem of Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo, as he did against Saints in midweek, but Brighton scored a lethal third goal in the 76th minute. This was on Onana, who should have easily collected a cross from Ayari after Van Hecke and Solly March combined to give him the chance to hit a low shot from the right.
Somehow the Cameroonian goalkeeper allowed the ball to slip out of his hands and substitute Rutter rounded Onana and the last man, Matthijs de Ligt, to score into an empty net for his fourth goal in his last three games for Brighton.
There would be no late heroics from United or Diallo this time.