DARREN FLETCHER was booked for his furious rant towards referee Simon Hooper – as Manchester United EXITED the FA Cup.
Old Trafford was met with a chorus of boos at full-time as Brighton knocked out the Red Devils in the third round on their own patch.
Interim boss Fletcher made a beeline for the match officials at the whistle to vent his frustrations over Shea Lacey’s dismissal in what he describes as “poor refereeing”.
Speaking post-match, he said: “Shea Lacey’s yellow card is ridiculous compared to the fouls that we had against us all game which ultimately then the lad makes a mistake and is sent off. For me it is poor refereeing.”
He continued: “He’s disappointed because he cares and he understands and he knows he will learn from it.
“There is no doubt about his talent and it was a steep learning curve today but we believe in Shea.
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“He’s one of our most exciting young prospects and I’m sure at Old Trafford he will have a chance to make amends for that in the future.”
Brajan Gruda fired the visitors ahead early on before former United star Danny Welbeck haunted his old club by doubling Fabian Hurzeler’s lead.
Benjamin Sesko grabbed a late goal back with five minutes to go on the clock – but United were unable to stage a comeback as they saw their FA Cup hopes crumble at the very first hurdle.
On the performance, Fletcher told TNT Sports: “Mixed performance. We started OK and then the goal knocked the stuffing out of us.
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“I challenged them at half-time to move the ball with tempo instead of just composure.
“When we got back to 2-1 I thought here we go, the crowd was up, the energy was up but we couldn’t get it over the line and get an equalising goal.
“I think you could see the players are fragile but they’ve got to respond. Confidence is one of the most powerful things in football so when you don’t have it, you have to dig deep and then the confidence comes back.
“It’s over to them, they need to make sure that they have got a lot to play for this season.
“This team is still good enough to achieve success this season but they have to dig deep.”
The defeat also means United will be playing just Premier League football for the rest of the year as they fight to qualify for the Champions League.
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MANCHESTER UNITED were dumped out of the FA Cup third round for the first time since 2014 after a miserable 2-1 defeat to Brighton.
It marks the earliest United have exited both cup competitions since 1982 and confirms back-to-back trophyless seasons.
United started well but were caught napping when Brajan Gruda fired home a rebound after just 12 minutes.
Darren Fletcher’s side struggled to respond before Danny Welbeck returned to haunt his former club with a fantastic finish on 64 minutes.
Benjamin Sesko gave United late hope with a back-post header.
But the misery was compounded when debutant Shea Lacey, 18, was SENT OFF moments later.
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They are out of both domestic cups and have no European football this term – meaning it will just be week to week games now.
Fletcher added: “Out of cups, only Premier League games to play for, the fans weren’t happy at the end but they have got every right to air their grievances.
“It wasn’t toxic but they showed their disappointment.
“I’m sure if the players show the right reaction, the fans will get behind them like they always do because there is still a lot to play for in the Premier League this season.”