Brighton’s Leon Balogun has said that he was surprised by Manchester United’s slow football in the 3-2 defeat to his new club on Sunday.

Albion’s centre-back was under the impression that the Premier League would be faster than the Bundesliga after leaving Mainz on a free transfer, although his observations about United’s attacking approach probably revealed more about José Mourinho’s methods than the overall state of English football.

It was a dismal effort from United and Balogun said the game would probably be played at a quicker pace when Brighton visit Anfield on Saturday. “Some of the lads have just asked me that too and I said I had expected the Premier League to be quicker, but they told me this is always the kind of game you play against United,” the Nigeria defender said. “They like to slow it down a little bit sometimes. Liverpool is going to be completely different. I know how [Jürgen] Klopp likes to play. It’s going to be a lot quicker and a lot more intense.”

Brighton restricted United to three shots on target, one of which was Paul Pogba’s consolation penalty, and Shane Duffy revealed they were happy to let Mourinho’s side have the ball in unthreatening areas.

“We know their strengths and we know we’ve had good results and performances against them before,” the Republic of Ireland centre-back said. “We know they’ve got good, quick front players so we just had to match their runs and try to let them play in front of us. It worked and I think they got a little bit frustrated and that was the gameplan.”

Duffy’s delight at scoring Brighton’s second goal was matched by the way Chris Hughton’s side adjusted to losing Lewis Dunk to an ankle injury in the 20th minute. Balogun, who played for his country at the World Cup finals in Russia, came on for his debut and formed an instant understanding with Duffy in central defence.

“He’s fitted straight in,” Duffy said. “He’s a big character in the changing room. He’s got a big voice. He’s played with big players in big games. That’s why you bring in players like that. They push us. He was great. That’s another plus for us, that strength in depth with top players. You pick up injuries and suspensions so you need these kind of players to step in.”