In the space of four days, Manchester United have been beaten in the 199th derby with Manchester City, learned that JJ Gabriel intends to depart, and suffered elimination from the Carabao Cup at the hands of Brighton.
Surrendering a 2-0 advantage may be the most painful of those setbacks, judging by the lengthy boos that greeted the final whistle. It also ended a proud 50-year run, with Tottenham’s 3-2 victory in September 1976 marking the previous occasion United had lost at Old Trafford after holding the same lead.
When Marcus Rashford broke through late on with an opportunity to make it 3-3, it felt almost inevitable that his effort would strike Jason Steele instead of finding the net.
Michael Carrick underlined his desperation by introducing Matheus Cunha and fellow late substitute Bruno Fernandes. However, Charalampos Kostoulas nearly added another goal for Brighton, while United failed to respond to Maxim De Cuyper’s decisive 69th-minute finish.
Having collected only four points from a possible 12 in the league, Carrick and his players now face serious scrutiny over their direction. Victory against Fulham on Sunday is essential if they are to repair their poor start to the campaign. The manager already appeared troubled, although he insisted after the match that the pressure did not concern him.
Carrick had suggested that the sense of injustice from Sunday’s meeting with City could sharpen his players, and Shea Lacey responded by marking his full debut with a superb goal. The 19-year-old moved cleverly inside the Brighton penalty area, escaped Jaouen Hadjam and fired beyond the helpless Steele. Benjamin Sesko also played an important role, holding up the ball and allowing teammates to advance before Youri Tielemans supplied Lacey.
The opening goal arrived after eight minutes, and Mason Mount doubled the advantage fewer than two minutes later. Rashford used his speed to burst down the left and into the box. Steele stopped the striker’s attempt with a trailing foot, but the rebound fell kindly to Mount, who drove a bouncing shot into the net for his first goal since last December’s victory at Wolves.
Lacey’s finish brought a smile from Carrick and an enthusiastic reaction from Mount. It also raised questions about how Gabriel felt after being considered for the squad and potentially becoming United’s youngest-ever player.
Brighton had been defeated in only one of their previous five trips to this stadium, while their strong opening to the league season had lifted Fabian Hürzeler’s side into fifth place. Even so, the confidence generated by Sunday’s 5-0 win against Coventry quickly faded as United maintained control.
Olivier Boscagli sent a corner straight out of play, an error that reflected Brighton’s untidy opening. Matt O’Riley then pressured Ayden Heaven into conceding another corner. The visitors gradually improved and launched a rapid counterattack through Malick Yalcouyé, but the Ivorian lifted his shot wide after breaking clear against debutant goalkeeper Karl Darlow. Rashford later embarrassed Chema Andrés with a nutmeg, while Pascal Gross wasted another Brighton opportunity by firing over.
Brighton eventually found the goal that restored their belief. Hadjam delivered a long diagonal pass from left to right that bypassed United’s defence, and the hesitant Heaven allowed Kostoulas to race through before slipping his finish between Darlow’s legs.
With victories this season coming only against Ipswich in the league and Sabah in Europe, Carrick badly needed a positive result. United had also exited both domestic cup competitions at the first hurdle in the previous campaign, before his appointment, making progress beyond at least one additional round especially important.
Tielemans failed to re-establish United’s two-goal cushion when his ambitious long-range attempt sailed over. Nevertheless, the hosts were still circulating possession in Brighton’s half and forcing the visitors to chase the ball.
Sesko then charged forward from the halfway line, prompting Steele to rush out and clear at the last possible moment. United appeared comfortable, but the real test was whether they could sustain that authority and produce the composed performance needed to demonstrate progress under Carrick. Sesko’s hesitation while unmarked, which allowed him to be dispossessed instead of releasing Lacey with a simple pass, suggested otherwise.
An inaccurate Rashford pass intended for Sesko offered another warning. A more encouraging moment came when he found Noussair Mazraoui advancing through the left channel into the area, while the resulting corner created an opportunity that Tielemans narrowly failed to convert.
Disaster then struck. Diogo Dalot’s hurried clearance did not reach Sesko, allowing Luka Vuskovic to head the ball towards Gross. Brighton’s captain created enough space for himself and finished comfortably. Worse followed when the visitors attacked down the right, Kostoulas’s cross deflected off Mazraoui and fell perfectly for De Cuyper to score.
Carrick responded in the 72nd minute by replacing Mount with Fernandes before also sending on Cunha. Despite those attacking changes, United continued to offer little threat.
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