Manchester United 1 – 3 Brighton
After a promising start with two consecutive wins last week, Manchester United’s performance faltered once again, returning to a cycle of frustration under manager Houbens Amuri.
Following an optimistic few matches, hopes were high for United, but a disjointed performance against Brighton quickly soured the mood. Despite an early setback at Old Trafford, United managed to equalize before once again losing their way in the second half. In the end, they succumbed to a 3-1 defeat.
After Yankuba’s opening goal put United behind, Bruno Fernandes leveled the score with a penalty. However, Brighton regained the lead with goals from Mitoma and Georginio in the 60th minute, sealing their victory.
This marks Brighton’s third consecutive Premier League win at Old Trafford, continuing their dominance over United with six wins in their last seven encounters.
For United, this defeat marks their 12th of the season. With 7 wins and 5 draws from 22 matches, they currently sit 13th in the league with 26 points. Brighton, on the other hand, sits 9th with 34 points from the same number of games.
United had a brief spell of success with a dramatic penalty shootout win over Arsenal in the FA Cup and a late 3-2 victory over Southampton thanks to Amad Diallo’s brilliant hat-trick. However, they failed to build on these successes and stumbled against Brighton.
The match started poorly for United when Mitoma sent a cross into the box for Yankuba to score from close range. After the early shock, United gradually found their rhythm and equalized in the 22nd minute thanks to Fernandes’ successful penalty, awarded after a foul on Joshua Zirkzee.
In the second half, United had another scare when a failed clearance allowed Joao Pedro to score, but a VAR review ruled out the goal due to a foul on Diogo Dalot in the box. The relief was short-lived, though, as Brighton regained the lead in the 60th minute when Mitoma scored again.
The final blow came in the 75th minute when Andre Onana mishandled a cross, and Georginio capitalized on the mistake to score. United’s performance completely fell apart after that, and many fans were seen leaving the stadium before the final whistle.
In other news, Nottingham Forest defeated Southampton 3-2 and moved up to 3rd place with 44 points. Arsenal and Liverpool occupy the second and top spots respectively, with 44 and 50 points.
