Manchester United suffered a defeat in their Premier League clash with Brighton and Hove Albion last night with a last-minute penalty costing the club crucial points in their quest for Champions League qualification.

The Red Devils are currently fourth in the top flight table and are four points clear of their bitter rivals Liverpool with a game in hand at present, however, Erik ten Hag will be extremely frustrated that his team threw away an opportunity to distance themselves to secure a more comfortable position ahead of their remaining five games.

Brighton had no trouble at all with dominating every area of the pitch as their visitors only had 40% possession of the ball, registered fewer shots on target (5 v 6), and fewer accurate passes (287 v 453), stats which set the scene for an entertaining but wasteful outing for Man United.

Over the entirety of the clash, both teams struggled with finishing their chances in front of goal and neither looked like they were keen to take the game by the scruff of the neck.

In the final 45 minutes, there were seven yellow cards delivered by the referee, Andre Marriner, as frustration peaked between the opponents. That said, it wasn't until Luke Shaw made a disappointing error in the dying moments of the game that Man United really lost control of their fate.

The England star, who has been playing in the centre-back role alongside Victor Lindelof over the last two fixtures, was faultless throughout and put in a defensive performance he can be proud of, making four clearances and an impressive three blocks. However, it was completely overshadowed by his handball when a Brighton ball came in from a corner.

Alexis Mac Allister stepped up in the fourth minute of extra time to seal the win for the home team and delivered a devastating blow when his penalty breezed past David De Gea just seconds before the whistle was blown for full-time.

Indeed, Shaw will take a lot of the blame for dropping points, but there were many opportunities for his attacking teammates to really put up a fight ahead of the error with Anthony Martial once again proving that he doesn't fight in front of goal to lead his team to success.

How did Anthony Martial get on vs Brighton?

The 27-year-old Frenchman has had a mixed spell during his time at Old Trafford, with moments of magic often overshadowed by his inconsistency and lacklustre performances in front of goal.

Despite that, the attacker has been given another chance at redemption by his Dutch manager due to a lack of offensive options in the squad.

Martial has struggled with injuries over the season so far and, in spite of often starting on the bench when available for selection, has been given numerous opportunities to be effective in the attacking third, but after last night's performance, Ten Hag may be regretting his decision.

Over his 84-minute performance, the £250k-per-week dud completed just 36 touches of the ball and amassed only 17 accurate passes as he proved to be incredibly wasteful.

Furthermore, the former Monaco man lost out in 100% of his aerial duels and struggled to trouble the Brighton 'keeper throughout before he was hooked late in the game for Wout Weghorst to replace him in the central role.

The Manchester Evening News' Chief Manchester United reporter Samuel Luckhurst even noticed Ten Hag losing his temper with Martial as he was clearly not following instructions in his role:

"Ten Hag slaps his thighs in anger and starts rollocking Martial, seemingly over a lack of pressing," the journalist said as the game was ongoing.

With that being said, there is no doubt that Man United must replace Martial in the summer as his lack of presence in the final third is killing their opportunity to dominate games and, in the worst case, could cost his team even more vital points with his lazy displays.