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Manchester United lost their second fixture of the season 3-2, versus a team that narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship last year.
In fact, Brighton secured their Premier League survival last season with victory over United at the Amex Stadium. However, last year, Jose Mourinho's side were looking ahead to the FA Cup Final. This time, there was no such excuse.
United were unimpressive from the get-go. Heavy-legged and rash in defence, it was a disastrous performance and has the club playing catch up to defending champions, Manchester City already.
This article looks at five key takeaways for Mourinho and United as they look ahead to next week's encounter against top-four rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.
#5 United missed Alexis Sanchez
United winger, Alexis Sanchez missed the fixture with Brighton due to injury. His was a key absence for the team. Anthony Martial was preferred to Marcus Rashford in his place but underwhelmed in his opportunity to stake a claim for the starting XI.
In fact, Martial looked completely uninterested once again and it is not hard to see why Mourinho was perfectly happy to jettison him this summer. He still might decide to do so.
United desperately missed Sanchez's energy and invention in attack. The dynamism he showed against Leicester City at Old Trafford last week was not replicated by any of his team-mates versus Brighton.
If United are to put themselves back on the road to recovery against Tottenham, they need Sanchez to be fit and firing once more.
#4 There remains a question mark over United's best centre-back pairing
Jose Mourinho continually experimented with his defensive back-line during 2017-18 to middling results. Despite a vast array of centre-halves on the books, Mourinho has yet to settle on an established partnership; failing to replicate the legendary pairings of the past such as Vidic and Ferdinand or Bruce and Pallister.
Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof are both Mourinho signings but both were culpable for all three of the goals United conceded versus Brighton. All three could have been avoided.
Worst, was Bailly's needless dive in to concede the penalty that saw Brighton take a 3-1 lead. If United are to achieve any success this season than Mourinho needs to solve this problem urgently.
#3 Matteo Darmian has no future at the club
Italian right-back, Matteo Darmian has no future at United.
After surprisingly starting United's first match of the season versus Leicester City, Darmian was given a torrid time by Leicester player, Demarai Gray and looked unassured throughout.
Despite no Antonio Valencia, again unavailable versus Brighton, Darmian didn't just fail to make the starting XI, he didn't make the match-day squad altogether.
In a further blow, he was replaced by Ashley Young, who spent the majority of last season at left-back instead. Young didn't look comfortable either but seems to still be ahead of Darmian in the pecking order, which makes the Italian third choice at best.
His hopes of regular first-team football don't seem likely to be fulfilled with United.
#2 Jesse Lingard needs to start
England World Cup hero, Jesse Lingard tasted his first action of the new campaign as a second-half substitute.
It was clear that his energy and attack-mindedness were what was lacking from a lethargic first-half performance.
Lingard pressed, dribbled and continually gave the Brighton defenders something to think about. For that reason, United boss, Jose Mourinho must find a way to fit Lingard into his starting line-up for their next encounter versus Tottenham Hotspur.
#1 United need to play 3-4-3
Many of Manchester United's title rivals employ a 3-4-3 system, utilising wing backs to turn defence into offence in the blink of an eye.
United's inability to find a secure centre-back partnership may lead them to give up on the 4-4-idea completely.
Playing three at the back, negates the need to play both centre-backs so close to each other and gives United the opportunity to play an extra attacker.
Given United are better stocked with talented attacking players than defenders, an attack-minded approach may be the way to achieve their goals for the season.
A back four has not proved successful over the past year or so. It's time for a change.
