And yet the truth remains that both Lindelof and Bailly were signed on Mourinho’s watch, at great expense. Bailly cost £30m, lest we forget, and Lindelof arrived for £31m. It is therefore easy to feel at least a small bit of sympathy for Woodward, who was clearly reluctant to throw yet more precious pennies at a position that has hardly been lacking investment in recent years.

That said, it is becoming increasingly hard to fathom how the club’s executives, despite their manager’s wishes, decided that only a truly world-class defender, such as Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane, would be worth signing. We can safely assume those opinions would have changed now, because it is simply not possible to have watched this first-half shambles on the south coast and still believe that Varane is the only player in world football who could improve the United back-line.

Man Utd's centre-backs look all at sea credit: reuters

At times in the first half, it felt as if Bailly and Lindelof were competing against each other to see who could produce the most spectacular piece of self-destruction. Such was their ineptitude that Murray was briefly made to look like one of the league’s most sprightly forwards.

If Mourinho wants to focus on the club’s spending, as he has for much of the last few months, then it may be worth pointing out some financial facts. Here was a £61m defensive pairing, and it was being ripped apart by a £3m centre forward. Under Mourinho’s coaching, United’s centre-backs are depreciating faster than the pound after the vote for Brexit.

The Brighton opener was the consequence of a double error from Lindelof, who allowed Murray to stroll in front of him at the near post. That was the start of the fire, and it took just 90 seconds for Bailly to pour the kerosene on top by needlessly conceding the corner that allowed Brighton to score the second.

By the time Bailly conceded the penalty that allowed the home side to score their third, it was almost laughable. This was the third time that United have conceded three or more goals under Mourinho, and Bailly has played in each of those games.

Bailly and Lindelof were not alone in struggling against the Brighton pressure, but they were the most vulnerable. United’s defensive troubles run deep, and this will not be the last we hear of them.