Brighton & Hove Albion secured a stunning 3-1 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford, marking only the third time in Premier League history that the Red Devils have lost three consecutive home games against the same opponent. The Seagulls were on the front foot from the start, and their traveling fans were celebrating the opener just five minutes into the game.
Kaoru Mitoma set up Yankuba Minteh for a simple finish after a raking long pass from Carlos Baleba caught the United defense off guard. However, Manchester United, who were looking to build on their midweek win over Southampton, were soon back on level terms. A loose ball from Bart Verbruggen led to Joshua Zirkzee being hauled down in the box by Baleba, and Bruno Fernandes calmly slotted home the resultant penalty.
The two teams went into the break level, but Brighton thought they had taken the lead soon after the restart when João Pedro slotted home from close range. However, a VAR intervention cut celebrations short, with Jan Paul van Hecke adjudged to have fouled Diogo Dalot in the build-up. Undeterred, the Seagulls soon restored their lead on the hour mark thanks to Mitoma, who became the top-scoring Japanese player in Premier League history.
Mitoma determinedly turned in Minteh’s searching cross at the back post to give Brighton a deserved lead. The points were all but wrapped up 14 minutes from time when a calamitous goalkeeping error from André Onana allowed Georginio Rutter to pass the ball into the net. From there, the visitors remained relatively untroubled to see out all three points.
The win lifts Brighton to ninth in the league standings, within touching distance of European qualification. Meanwhile, Manchester United remains 13th, one point closer to the drop zone than European qualification. The Red Devils have now lost six of their last seven league H2Hs against Brighton.
The defeat will be a major concern for Manchester United, who are struggling to find consistency this season. Brighton, on the other hand, will be buoyed by their back-to-back league wins and will be looking to continue their push for European qualification.
