Luke Shaw launched a thinly-veiled dig at Manchester United’s attackers after his side’s agonising 1-0 defeat against Brighton on Thursday night. The Red Devils were left to rue their missed chances in brutal fashion as Shaw was punished for giving away a penalty deep into second-half stoppage time.
The Seagulls understandably had the bit between their teeth at the Amex Stadium, where they aimed to avenge their FA Cup semi-final defeat against United at Wembley last month. Several of their key stars were evidently up for the occasion, including Kaoru Mitoma, who gave Aaron Wan-Bissaka a tough time out wide.
But the game’s crucial moment fell to Alexis Mac Allister, who was tasked with stepping up to the spot in the 99th minute after a brief VAR consulation prompted referee Andre Marriner to conclude that Shaw handled the ball in the box.
The World Cup winner buried his spot-kick, consigning United to their first defeat in five Premier League matches and delaying confirmation of their top-four finish, which is not yet assured.
After the final whistle, Shaw accepted the brunt of the criticism but went out of his way to explain that the outcome would have been different if United’s attackers took their chances. Antony missed a sequence of opportunities in the first half and was fortunate not to get sent off in the second, while Anthony Martial put in an underwhelming performance up top.
“The problem is we don’t score,” Shaw told Sky Sports. “That happened a lot of times this season. It comes down to the chance at the end but the game is different if we score the chances we make.
“It hurts a lot. Last minute, last action really. I got a little nudge but the hand shouldn’t be there, so of course I own up to it and take it on the chin. It’s cost us the game and, yeah, it’s tough.
“I can’t even explain why my hand is up there. I got a nudge, maybe that helped with my hand going up but it still shouldn’t be there. Even before the corner, the free-kick that was given away before that was never a foul. I’m not looking for excuses for what I did but there’s no way that should be given as a foul which led to the goal.
“For me, maybe it shouldn’t have even happened but I can’t change that. I’m not accusing the referee of anything but for me it wasn’t a foul. But like I said, hands up for a silly mistake that cost us a point at the end.”
United still boast a four-point buffer over Liverpool in fifth, who have played a game more than the Red Devils. Manager Erik ten Hag will hope to restore his side’s momentum when they travel to face West Ham on Sunday evening.
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