Man United 1-3 Brighton: Player ratings as Seagulls end Red Devils dominance at Old Trafford

In partnership with

Football Today

·16 September 2023

Man United 1-3 Brighton: Player ratings as Seagulls end Red Devils dominance at Old Trafford

Brighton & Hove Albion ended Manchester United’s 31-game unbeaten run at Old Trafford with an emphatic 3-1 victory today.

The Seagulls were the last team to depart the Theatre of Dreams with maximum points before Man United embarked on their exceptional unbeaten streak.

OneFootball Videos

Brighton went to Old Trafford on the back of a three-match winning streak in the league, but Man United started on the front foot perhaps eager to set the record straight.

Marcus Rashford, who was a menace to Brighton’s backline, fashioned space in the box to unleash a goal-bound effort, but Jason Steele saved well.

The Seagulls began to grow into the game, pressing the Red Devils high up the pitch, and they were rewarded for their efforts, opening the scoring in the 20th minute.

A well-worked team goal saw Simon Adingra cross the ball into the box towards Adam Lallana, who cleverly dummied to allow former Man United man Danny Welbeck to steer it past Andre Onana.

His goal ensured Brighton made club history, with the Seagulls now scoring for a 16th successive away league match.

Erik Ten Hag’s side responded well after falling behind, with Rashford nearly restoring parity after cutting in from left and shooting on goal, but his deflected effort struck the woodwork.

Man United had the ball in the back of the net before the half-time interval, but it was ruled out after Rashford was adjudged to have taken the ball out of play before sliding it to Rasmus Hojlund.

The Danish striker left Man United fans with plenty to be optimistic about after showing great composure on his debut to take a touch and finish past Steele, only to be denied his first goal for the club by VAR.

The hosts started the second half as they did the first, with a chance again falling to Rashford, but once more opportunities went begging, and they were eventually punished as Brighton doubled their lead.

Pascal Gross pounced on a loose ball, showing excellent footwork to remove Lisandro Martinez from the picture before burying his effort past Onana for his seventh strike against the Red Devils – his career-best tally against any opposition.

As Man United committed more men forward trying to pull a goal back, they were duly punished by Joao Pedro’s sublime first-time finish from the edge of the box after being picked out by Tariq Lamptey.

After seeing their side go three goals down, Man United fans departed Old Trafford in numbers, but they missed their side being offered a glimmer of hope as Hannibal Mejbri rifled home his first-ever goal for the club with a brilliant shot from distance.

It proved little more than a consolation, with no comeback forthcoming from the hosts, as they fell to a third defeat in five league games.

Man United have suffered their fair share of drama over the past few months, and this game is evidence that there will be worse days ahead for them.

The Red Devils have four fixtures against Burnley, Crystal Palace, Brentford and Sheffield United to pick themselves up and dust off their appalling run of form before the first Manchester derby of the season next month.

Man United vs Brighton Player Ratings

Man United

Andre Onana (6/10) – Made a couple of stunning saves but could do nothing about the goals he conceded. Should have done better with his distribution, especially long passes.

Diogo Dalot (6/10) – Keeping the electrifying Kaoru Mitoma relatively quiet deserves praise, and he was good value for his attacking endeavour.

Victor Lindelof (5/10) – Came under a lot of pressure but was assured in his defensive responsibilities.

Lisandro Martinez (5/10) – Not his best display in a Man United shirt, with the diminutive centre-half struggling to deal with Brighton’s attack.

Sergio Reguilon (5/10) – A solid performance from the on-loan Spaniard, considering he has barely kicked a ball this season. Did well to keep up with Adingra at times.

Casemiro (6/10) – Was caught napping one too many times, but his distribution helped Man United evade Brighton’s press at times.

Scott McTominay (5/10) – Was unable to replicate his exceptional performances for Scotland and was largely a spectator throughout the tie.

Bruno Fernandes (6/10) – Was at the centre of Man United’s attacking endeavours but failed to create any worthwhile chances.

Christian Eriksen (6/10) – Was exceptional in the first half, dropping into that midfield three, but couldn’t impact the game as much as he would have liked.

Marcus Rashford (7/10) – An electrifying performance from the Englishman who had the Brighton defenders retreating. Unfortunate not to register a telling contribution.

Rasmus Hojlund (6/10) – Gave Man United fans plenty to be optimistic about on his debut. Caused Brighton a lot of problems with his movement, and was unlucky not to register a debut goal.

Substitutes

Hannibal Mejbri (7/10)

Anthony Martial (5/10)

Aaron Wan-Bissaka (NA)

Alejandro Garnacho (NA)

Facundo Pellistri (NA)

Brighton & Hove Albion

Jason Steele (7/10) – Characteristically excellent with his ball distribution and made a couple of fine saves to deny Man United.

Joel Veltman (7/10) – Struggled to cope with Rashford’s pace, power and trickery but delivered an assured performance nevertheless.

Lewis Dunk (7/10) – His passing was exquisite per usual, and confidently dealt with the threat from Hojlund.

Jan Paul van Hecke (7/10) – His ball progression was pivotal to Brighton in the build-up phase. Formed an excellent partnership with Dunk at the heart of the defence.

Tariq Lamptey (8/10) – Was unstoppable for Brighton down the left flank and bagged two assists to show for his attacking endeavours.

Mahmoud Dahoud (5/10) – Was vital in the build-up phase but struggled to impact the game aside from that. Rightly replaced in the second half.

Pascal Gross (8/10) – Another excellent display from the German. Pulled the strings for Brighton from midfield and showed excellent footwork for his goal.

Kaoru Mitoma (5/10) – Was uncharacteristically quiet throughout the game and barely contributed to Brighton’s attack. An underwhelming display from the otherwise dazzling forward.

Adam Lallana (6/10) – Did well to help Brighton establish a foothold in the middle of the park but offered precious little in attack.

Simon Adingra (7/10) – Had a good battle with Reguilon down the right flank and came out on top a couple of times. Did well to bag an assist on his first start of the season.

Danny Welbeck (7/10) – Came back to haunt Man United yet again with a well-taken goal. Had a quiet start but grew into the game and caused problems for the opposition’s defence.