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Before their season-finale against Brighton, Ten Hag said Manchester United were in a stronger position now than they were 12 months ago. But they have swapped a third-place finish and the Champions League for eighth, along with the possibility of no European football next season. Their performance at Amex Stadium summed up an underwhelming season, as United struggled to deal with Brighton's intricate passing and were pinned into their own half for much of the game. However, makeshift centre-back Casemiro put recent criticism behind him as he kept United in the game with a brilliant goalline clearance from Joao Pedro. The Brazilian, normally a defensive midfielder, also set up Dalot's goal, sending a superb ball over the top of the Brighton defence. Despite their worst Premier League finish, there have been positives for United this season and Hojlund's performance off the bench was an example. The Denmark international linked up with Christian Eriksen before waltzing through the Brighton defence and unleashing a low strike past Steele. United's chance to win the FA Cup on Saturday was evident when Ten Hag made the decision to rest players, substituting Lisandro Martinez and Bruno Fernandes before the hour mark. The victory will boost confidence, and likely keep under-pressure Ten Hag in a job until Saturday's final, but United will need to improve massively over the next week if they are to challenge Premier League champions Manchester City at Wembley.