Luke Shaw bore the blame after his late handball doomed Manchester United to defeat at Brighton – but also admitted his attacking teammates’ frustrations.
Alexis Mac Allister scored a 99th-minute penalty after VAR interference as Roberto De Zerbi’s side cruised to a 1-0 win at the Amex Stadium to move up to sixth as United missed the chance to go third.
Shaw accepted responsibility for an action he couldn’t ‘explain’, but he also lamented the chances United failed to convert.
“It hurts a lot,” Shaw told Sky Sports. “Last minute, last action really. I got nudged, but of course the hand shouldn’t be there. I admit it, take it on the chin. It cost us the game.
“I can’t explain why my hand is there. Maybe the nudge helps my arm get up there, but it shouldn’t be there. But even before the corner, the free kick given was never a foul. I’m not looking for excuses but there is no plea that should have been given before the corner. But raise your hand, stupid mistake.
Shaw added: “The problem is that we don’t score. In the first half we have three or four chances to score. On the other side it comes down to my mistake at the end but I think with the chances we had we should score those goals and the game is completely different if we score early with the chances we have.
“We have to kick each other. We were comfortable but now we can say that it’s a real chase, the teams around us picking up points. But it’s still in our hands. »
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Manager Erik ten Hag lamented the “annoying” loss of the last gasp as well as the free kick awarded by Andre Marriner in the run-up to the penalty, with the referee eventually going to the pitch monitor.
“The annoying thing is that the free kick before (the corner) is never a free kick and I saw some really bad tackles today, sometimes without a whistle as well,” said Ten Hag .
“Every attack you make they kick you and then with a fair block it’s a free kick and it’s a corner kick and then it’s a disappointing handball in the final seconds and you can’t react more.
“It’s not for me to pass judgment on the referee. We lost that game, we made a mistake at the end and we didn’t try our luck but of course there are disappointments.
Manchester United remain fourth in the table – eight points ahead of Brighton, who have played one game less, and four points ahead of Liverpool, who have played one game more.
(Photo: Getty Images)
