Manchester United: Most fortunate of victories at Brighton masks another substandard display

Well, the late, late drama was there in glorious form from the Sir Alex Ferguson days. The Bruno Fernandes winner was finally put into the net in the 100th minute, even after the final whistle had been blown, which is a realm even beyond Fergie Time.

But, watching from afar, the former United supremo would have been far from impressed with what he had seen at the Amex Stadium, as United, to put it mildly, got out of jail on the south coast.

While they will take the three points, bundle Lady Luck on to the back of the coach and head back home having got their season up and running, United should have been facing up to the prospect of welcoming Jose Mourinho and Tottenham to Old Trafford next week on the back of successive Premier League defeats in their first two games of the season for the first time since the inaugural campaign back in 1992/93.

Brighton had 18, yes eighteen, shots at goal, compared to seven from United. They hit the woodwork five times - the most team any team has done in a single Premier League game since Opta started recording this data in 2003-04 - while missing a host of other glaring chances.

Yes, Brighton played some good football and were well organised, with their 3-5-2 system pulling United all over the place, but in truth, a well below-par United allowed them to play.

If there was ever any doubt that United need defensive reinforcements this transfer window, witnessing Victor Lindelof's dithering, Aaron Wan-Bissaka's staggeringly poor positioning and Luke Shaw's wayward passing would have put pay to said doubt.

Paul Pogba, having improved towards the end of last season after the arrival of Fernandes, has started this season exuding that frustrating demeanour when he does not seem willing to completely apply himself, and being more a hindrance than useful asset for United having given the ball away more than any other United player at the Amex.

There was a welcome return to form from Marcus Rashford, as his stunning solo goal put United 2-1 up, while David de Gea did make a vital save late in the day when United needed him most, but, other than the result, that is about where the positives stop for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

In attack, United were all too predictable. They still scored three times, but one was an own goal from a free-kick, another all Rashford's own doing and finally that familiar sight of a supremely dispatched Fernandes penalty. Otherwise, all the slick attacking play came from those in blue and white.

Teams have worked out how to play against United - sit back, allow them to have the ball, then counter - with a glaring lack of Plan B in Solskjaer's game-plan still all too evident.

The overriding feeling at the final whistle was one of deja vu for United fans - a Fernandes penalty bailing them out, again. Their winning run at the end of last season got fans dreaming of former glories, with their frightening front three helping catapult United back into the top four. But, on plentiful occasions in that long winning run, it was a Fernandes spot kick that earned United the points, with Solskjaer's side finishing the season having won more penalties than any other side across Europe's top five leagues in five years.

Solskjaer will take another win secured via that reliable boot of Fernandes, but a major post mortem should already be under way. A new signing in the heart of the defence is a must, something needs to be done about Pogba's output, while a Plan B has to be conjured. The Norwegian's job really starts now.