Manchester United suffered a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Wednesday, ending their League Cup campaign at the earliest stage for a second consecutive season.
United appeared to be in complete control after taking a 2-0 lead inside the opening 10 minutes. Teenager Shea Lacey opened the scoring in the eighth minute before Mason Mount doubled the advantage shortly afterwards.
Brighton gradually regained control of the match, however, and Charalampos Kostoulas reduced the deficit in first-half stoppage time to give the visitors renewed hope.
The comeback continued after the break. Pascal Gross equalised in the 65th minute before substitute Maxim De Cuyper completed Brighton’s turnaround four minutes later.
United struggled to respond as Brighton protected their lead, with Marcus Rashford coming closest to an equaliser when his one-on-one effort was stopped by goalkeeper Jason Steele.
The defeat marked the first time in 50 years that Manchester United had lost a home match after leading by two goals. The previous occasion came in 1976, when Tottenham overturned a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2.
The result adds to a difficult start for manager Michael Carrick, whose side had already lost to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday. United have now suffered three defeats this season and have been eliminated from both domestic cups at an early stage across consecutive campaigns.
Carrick accepted responsibility for the collapse after the match, acknowledging that his team had allowed the game to slip away after making such a strong start.
Brighton’s victory sends them into the fourth round of the League Cup, while Manchester United must now turn their attention to their Premier League campaign and Sunday’s away match against Fulham.
Leave a Reply