Kaoru Mitoma has described his performance against Aaron Wan-Bissaka as a ‘complete defeat’ following Brighton’s loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup semi final on Sunday.
In a tight game at Wembley, the match ended goalless after 90 minutes and extra time, while Erik ten Hag’s side went on to win the penalty shootout 7-6.
Mitoma, meanwhile, struggled to make an impact as Wan-Bissaka delivered an impressive display on the right side of United’s defence.
And the Japan international, who was playing against United for the first time this season, acknowledged that Wan-Bissaka was a ‘strong opponent’.
‘I regret that I didn’t score a goal despite having a few chances to do so,’ Mitoma said after Brighton’s FA Cup exit.
‘And it’s difficult to score penalties, so I think I could have done something more before that.
‘I hadn’t played against them [Manchester United] before but all of their players are of high quality individually, so we had to be careful on the counter-attacks.
‘I think the match as a whole went well but they had quality at the end.
‘I also need to improve. He [Wan-Bissaka] is a strong opponent, that’s what I thought while I was playing.
‘There were a lot of occasions where his legs stretched at the end, or he got the ball down at the back. I think it was a complete defeat.’