Manchester United suffered another disappointing early exit from the EFL Cup after Brighton came from two goals down to secure a 3-2 victory in their third-round clash at Old Trafford.
Michael Carrick’s side appeared to be heading for a comfortable win after taking a 2-0 lead within the opening 10 minutes, but Brighton produced a remarkable comeback to send United crashing out of the competition.
United entered the game looking to recover from Sunday’s controversial 1-0 defeat to 10-man Manchester City, a result that left them with just one win from their opening four Premier League matches.
Shea Lacey gave the hosts a dream start, scoring his first senior goal for the club just eight minutes into his maiden start. The youngster collected Youri Tielemans’ pass on the right side of the penalty area before firing beyond an unsighted Jason Steele.
Mason Mount extended United’s advantage two minutes later, reacting quickest to a rebound after Marcus Rashford’s effort was saved and lifting the ball over the stranded Brighton goalkeeper.
Despite the early setback, Brighton gradually took control of proceedings.
Malick Yalcouye fired narrowly wide after Pascal Gross released him behind the United defence, before Gross himself blasted over from close range.
The visitors eventually pulled one back just before the interval when Charalampos Kostoulas calmly finished past Karl Darlow after Jaouen Hadjam’s deep cross exposed the United defence.
Brighton continued to press after the restart and found their equaliser shortly after the hour mark. Luka Vuskovic intercepted Diogo Dalot’s pass and headed forward before finding Gross, who calmly beat Darlow to make it 2-2.
The comeback was completed five minutes later.
Kostoulas burst down United’s right flank before his deflected cut-back fell perfectly for substitute Maxim De Cuyper, who made no mistake from close range.
United pushed for an equaliser, with Steele making an impressive save to deny Rashford after Bruno Fernandes had released the forward.
At the other end, De Cuyper volleyed over while Dalot prevented Yasin Ayari from finding the target with a goal-bound attempt.
Gross remained influential for Brighton, later setting up Diego Gomez, whose effort was straight at Darlow.
Brighton Continue Old Trafford Dominance
Carrick had urged his players to “move on” from the controversy surrounding Erling Haaland’s winning goal in Sunday’s Manchester derby, with United facing another major test just three days later.
There appeared to be no hangover from that defeat in the opening stages, as Lacey and Mount quickly put United in command.
For Lacey, the goal was particularly significant. The teenager had been sent off during United’s FA Cup defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford last season, but he responded by becoming the first teenager since an 18-year-old Rashford in February 2016 to score on his first start for the club.
However, Brighton’s dominance after United’s second goal ultimately proved decisive.
The visitors had already recorded 0.92 expected goals (xG) compared with United’s 0.30 by half-time, underlining their growing control of the contest.
That superiority continued after the break as Gross and De Cuyper punished United’s defensive mistakes.
Brighton’s victory also extended their impressive recent record at Old Trafford. The Seagulls have now won five of their last six away matches against United in all competitions, with their only defeat during that run coming in the other fixture.
United, meanwhile, suffered a remarkable defeat after leading by at least two goals at Old Trafford for the first time in more than 50 years. Their previous such loss came in September 1976, when Tottenham secured a 3-2 victory.
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler will regard the result as fully deserved, with his side producing 2.15 xG compared with United’s 1.04.
For Carrick, the defeat adds further pressure after a difficult start to the season and another early departure from the EFL Cup.
