Cristiano Ronaldo was left laughing in bemusement as Manchester United suffered an embarrassing defeat at Brighton to sum up their dismal season.
The Red Devils lost 4-0 at the Amex on Saturday evening, falling behind to Moises Caicedo's early opener and then conceding three times in 11 minutes during a second-half capitulation. Interim manager Ralf Rangnick chose to name an unchanged starting XI having beaten Brentford 3-0 in the Premier League just five days earlier.
But the two performances could hardly have been more different and United were utterly outclassed by the Seagulls, whose fans revelled in a famous victory. After Pascal Gross produced a fine finish to put the hosts 3-0 up, Ronaldo could not hide his bewilderment and was spotted laughing as United prepared to take yet another kick-off.
It took just three minutes for the situation to go from bad to worse as Leandro Trossard bundled the ball over the line to put Brighton four goals to the good. The scoreline could have been even more calamitous for the visitors, too, as Brighton hit the post and continued to threaten throughout the final half-hour.
United momentarily thought they had pulled one goal back to make things slightly more respectable but Edinson Cavani was found to be offside after prodding in following a set piece. The humbling defeat on the south coast leaves the Red Devils sixth in the table with no chance of qualifying for the Champions League because the gap to Arsenal in fourth is too great.
A Europa League spot is not guaranteed either as West Ham will leapfrog Rangnick's side into sixth if they win their two games in hand. This would mean Ronaldo and Co. could find themselves playing in the Europa Conference League next season.
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United's drubbing at Brighton is the latest in a season filled with heavy defeats, such as the 5-0 and 4-0 thrashings by Liverpool - at home and away respectively - and 4-1 losses to Watford and Manchester City. Travelling supporters left their players in no doubt over their rage at the Amex by chanting: "You're not fit to wear the shirt."
This new low lays bare the scale of the task awaiting Erik ten Hag when he takes over from Rangnick as manager this summer. The result stressed the need for heavy investment in a squad which also needs its fair share of clearing out in order for United to rediscover the glory day of old any time soon.
