Manchester United’s wild defeat to FC Copenhagen put their Champions League progress in doubt and increased the scrutiny on manager Erik ten Hag.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the records of United’s managers since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
David Moyes
Played 51: Won 27, Drew 9, Lost 15. Win rate: 53 per cent
Trophies: Community Shield 2013
The Scot took just one game to win a trophy, the Community Shield against Wigan, as Ferguson’s hand-picked successor. There was little else to celebrate, though, as he failed to even see out the first of the six seasons on his contract. He was sacked after 10 months, with Ryan Giggs finishing the campaign as caretaker manager. Moyes struggled subsequently at Real Sociedad and Sunderland but has rebuilt his reputation with West Ham, winning last season’s Europa Conference League.
Louis Van Gaal
P103: W54, D25, L24. Win rate: 52 per cent
Trophies: FA Cup 2016
United’s previous Dutch boss never truly convinced the Old Trafford faithful after a dreadful winless start against Swansea, Sunderland, third-tier MK Dons and Burnley. His side did improve and Van Gaal signed off with an FA Cup win, beating Crystal Palace in extra-time, but his win percentage was the lowest of the post-Ferguson era until Ralf Rangnick’s spell in interim charge.
Jose Mourinho
P144: W84, D32, L28. Win rate: 58 per cent
Trophies: Europa League 2017, League Cup 2017, Community Shield 2016
Mourinho is probably United’s most successful manager since Ferguson – winning 58 per cent of his games, with a runner-up finish in the Premier League and adding a League Cup and Europa League double in 2016-17. His, though, was an erratic and ill-tempered spell, with a defensive style of play and fallings-out with players, leaving the fans cold.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
P167: W91, D37, L39. Win rate: 54 per cent
Trophies: None
The much-loved former United striker proved almost the inverse of his predecessor, with a fluid and attacking style but inconsistent results. A stunning spell as caretaker – winning 14 games out of 19 – deservedly earned him the job on a permanent basis but he came nowhere near emulating that 74 per cent win rate from then on. He left in November 2021 after United won just three of his last 10 games and conceded 15 goals in the last six, the first United manager since Frank O’Farrell in the early 1970s not to add to the club’s trophy cabinet.
Ralf Rangnick
P29: W11, D10, L8. Win rate: 38 per cent
Trophies: None
After Michael Carrick’s three games as caretaker, in November 2021, Rangnick was tasked with seeing out the season as interim boss before moving into a consultancy role with the club – which was ultimately cancelled as he took charge of the Austria national team. He began with five games unbeaten but drew far too many – losing on penalties to Middlesbrough in the FA Cup – as he became the first United boss since Dave Sexton’s 1981 departure to win fewer than half of his games in charge.
Erik ten Hag
P79: W49, D9, L21. Win rate: 62 per cent
Trophies: League Cup 2023
Ten Hag’s win percentage exceeds even Ferguson’s 60 per cent, though a run in the second-tier Europa League arguably helped to inflate that figure. There have been embarrassing losses from his second game in charge – 4-0 against Brentford – via conceding six to Manchester City and seven to Liverpool, to the 4-3 shock against Copenhagen, with his side conceding more goals per game than under any post-Ferguson manager other than Rangnick.
With Luton and Everton next up before a key European clash with Galatasaray, Ten Hag will know the tide must turn.
Brest 2-1 Sturm Graz: Hosts making winning start on European bow
Abdallah Sima's second-half goal secured Brest their first-ever win in a European competition in a 2-1 victory over 10-man Sturm Graz on Thursday.
The French side made their Champions League bow, with goals in either half enough to overcome an own goal on the stroke of half-time.
Hugo Magnetti scored Brest's maiden European goal just 23 minutes in, expertly controlling it on his chest before volleying into the bottom corner to break the deadlock.
However, Sturm Graz equalised just before the break, with Edimilson Fernandes inadvertently sending the ball into his own net.
Brest adopted a more aggressive approach following the interval, and they were rewarded when Sima restored the French side's advantage by skilfully evading his marker to score in the 56th minute.
The visitors were reduced to 10 men with just two minutes remaining of the 90 when Dimitri Lavalee received his second booking after a late tackle on Magnetti. Jonas Martin then had two late chances to snatch a third but was denied by Kjell Scherpen.
Data Debrief: Making an entrance
Brest’s win over Sturm Graz was just the second by a team making their debut in major European competition across the last 21 attempts (D4 L15), with Zrinjski Mostar in last season's UEFA Conference League the only other victor in that time.
Magnetti netted on what was his first-ever start in European competition, becoming the first player to net a team's first-ever goal in the Champions League from outside the area since Demba Ba for Istanbul Basaksehir against Manchester United in November 2020.
Atletico Madrid 2-1 RB Leipzig: Late Gimenez header hands hosts victory
A late header by defender Jose Maria Gimenez gave Atletico Madrid a 2-1 win over RB Leipzig in their Champions League opener on Thursday.
The German side took a shock lead in the fourth minute thanks to a header by striker Benjamin Sesko, capping a quick counter-attack.
However, Antoine Griezmann struck a fine volley into the top corner in the 28th minute to level the scores.
Atletico dominated the match with 20 attempts on goal in total, but it wasn't until the 90th minute that they finally managed to find the winner, with Gimenez heading in a cross from Griezmann.
Data debrief: Griezmann inspires Atleti again
Griezmann proved once again to be the talisman for Atletico Madrid, with a goal and an assist, three chances created, winning 100% of his aerial duels and recovering the ball eight times.
After netting Atletico's first-half equaliser in this match, 26 of Griezmann’s 37 goals in the Champions League have now come on home soil, moving him level for home goals in the competition with Sergio Aguero and Alessandro Del Piero.
Leipzig have now failed to win in their last three games in Champions League, which is their longest winless streak in the competition since a run of six games from February to November 2021.
Elanga hoping Forest can keep clinical edge against Brighton
Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga praised their clinical nature for their shock win at Liverpool and is hoping to carry into their trip to Brighton.
Forest have made an impressive start to the Premier League season, with a 1-0 victory over Liverpool – their first win at Anfield in 55 years – the pick of their results.
They are unbeaten so far, with two wins and two draws under their belts, leaving them seventh in the table.
Despite the positivity currently surrounding the club, Elanga is not getting ahead of himself.
"Since the start of pre-season, the atmosphere has been good," Elanga told BBC Radio 5 Live. "We went to Liverpool and not many teams can beat them and play the way we did – we got rewarded with it at the end.
"We have started the season well, but we have still got 35 games left – we have to go game by game.
"Last season we played the big sides and played well, it was marginal difference, and they were clinical. [On Saturday], we were clinical."
They face a Brighton side also yet to lose this season, and the Seagulls sit just one place above them in the table having scored more goals.
Brighton followed up their last-gasp win over Manchester United with two draws but bounced back with a 3-2 victory over Wolves in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
Evan Ferguson returned to the starting line-up for that match, and though he failed to get on the scoresheet, Fabian Hurzeler backed him to get back to his best soon.
"I think we saw in some situations how good he can be," Hurzeler said.
"He had some shots in the first half, he worked hard against the ball. He can't be on the level already that he wants to and like he was before in the Premier League in the prime of his individual performance.
"We will try to get him there; he needs to train at 100%, and he needs to use every training session to get as fit as possible, and then I'm sure that he will help us."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Brighton – Jan Paul van Hecke
Jan Paul van Hecke has made the most ball carries (116) in the Premier League this season, and subsequently carried the ball the furthest distance (1149 metres) of any player so far.
Nottingham Forest – Morgan Gibbs-White
Morgan Gibbs-White has created more chances from open play than any other player in the Premier League this season (11).
MATCH PREDICTION: BRIGHTON WIN
Brighton are unbeaten so far in the Premier League this season (W2 D2) – they have never remained without defeat in their first five games of a top-flight season, last doing so in any division in the 2015-16 Championship.
Hurzeler's men have drawn their last two Premier League games. Indeed, of all teams to have played in more than one campaign in the competition, the Seagulls have seen the highest share of their games finish level (32.2% - 87/270).
Brighton have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four home league games against Nottingham Forest (W3 D1), having lost the previous two while conceding three goals each time.
Indeed, having been unbeaten in eight top-flight meetings with Brighton between 1980 and 2023 (W6 D2), Forest lost home and away against the Seagulls last season.
Forest have won their last four Premier League away games, including their 1-0 win at Anfield last weekend, more than they had in their first 36 on the road following their return to the division in 2022 (W3 D9 L24). They last won five consecutive away games (in any division) in January 1994, and last did so in the top-flight in March 1989.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Brighton – 52.3%
Draw – 24%
Nottingham Forest – 23.7%
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