- Man Utd fell to a late 2-1 defeat to Brighton on Saturday lunchtime
- Alejandro Garnacho thought he had rescued a point with his second-half effort
- Joao Pedro's stoppage-time effort broke Man Utd hearts
Manchester United fell to a late 2-1 defeat against Brighton on Saturday lunchtime following Joao Pedro's 95th-minute header on the south coast.
Brighton took the lead through Danny Welbeck after 32 minutes following some indecisiveness in the United backline, but Amad Diallo's deflected effort levelled the score shortly after the hour mark.
Alejandro Garnacho's effort was rightly ruled out for an unfortunate offside with 20 minutes to play and Pedro's late header condemned Erik ten Hag's men to their first defeat of the season.
How the game unfolded
Both sides spent the opening ten minutes figuring one another out and it was United that came closest to taking an early lead. Diogo Dalot's wonderful cross found Amad at the far post but the 22-year-old fired a left-footed effort wide from close range.
The visitors continued to have the best of the early chances without testing Jason Steele in the Brighton goal. Casemiro headed over the crossbar from a free kick and Dalot's long-range curler drifted past the post just before the half-hour mark.
But it was Brighton who found the back of the net with their first shot on target and former United striker Welbeck got the decisive touch. Some questionable defending from Harry Maguire allowed Kaoru Mitoma the chance to flash a cross into the six-yard box, with Welbeck grabbing his second goal of the season.
Marcus Rashford thought he had levelled for United just a minute later but his scrappy effort was ruled out for offside, with Brighton holding their slim advantage as the half-time whistle rang around the Amex Stadium.
Brighton almost doubled their advantage just six minutes after the restart after an incisive run from Pedro. The Brazilian drove into the final third and found veteran James Milner, who saw his poked shot cleared off the line by Dalot.
The Seagulls continued to threaten as the second half progressed and Welbeck may well have grabbed himself his second of the afternoon just before the hour mark. The 33-year-old redirected a free-kick with a deft header but the crossbar denied the experienced forward.
Luck deserted Brighton just moments later at the other end as United found their equaliser. Amad was released down the right-hand side and arrowed a strike towards Steele's goal, with a mighty deflection off Jan Paul van Hecke bamboozling the Brighton stopper.
United believed they had completed the turnaround shortly after they equalised but this time luck shone on the Seagulls. Garnacho looked to have tapped home the visitors' second of the match but the ball struck the offside Joshua Zirkzee's knee on its way into the back of the net.
Both teams pushed for a winner in the closing stages and it was Brighton that found one. Substitute Simon Adingra floated a delicate cross into the path of Pedro, who headed beyond Andre Onana to seal a memorable win early in the Fabian Hurzeler era.
Brighton player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Jason Steele - 6/10 - Largely untested by United's attackers and was helpless for Amad's effort.
RB: Joel Veltman - 5/10 - Should have been booked for a ludicrous handball in the first half and was sloppy with some of his challenges.
CB: Jan Paul van Hecke - 7/10 - An imposing display from the Dutch centre-back, who won duel after duel with Bruno Fernandes and Rashford. Unfortunate that his long leg helped United draw level.
CB: Lewis Dunk - 6/10 - A few nervy passes in the opening minutes but improved as the game wore on, as did his distribution across the backline.
LB: Jack Hinshelwood - 6/10 - Had kept Amad under wraps until the Ivorian found space a little too easily to score in the second half.
DM: James Milner - 8/10 - Still going strong and barely looked a shade over 30 with a combative midfield display. Made some surprisingly attacking runs in behind the United backline and almost got his name on the scoresheet.
DM: Billy Gilmour - 7/10 - Despite speculation over his future, Gilmour was the only change from the 3-0 win over Everton last weekend. Covered every blade of grass in an all-action display.
RW: Yankuba Minteh - 6/10 - A livewire down the right flank for Brighton but lacked the end product to cause United's defence too many issues.
AM: Joao Pedro - 8/10 - Some powerful darts into the final third and produced the winning goal in stoppage time. A constant threat with his movement.
LW: Kaoru Mitoma - 6/10 - It was the Japan international's tantalising delivery that helped the Seagulls open the scoring but he struggled to get the better of Mazraoui too often.
ST: Danny Welbeck - 8/10 - Grabbed yet another goal against his former employers by finding himself in the right place at the right time. Almost doubled Brighton's lead after the break and linked up well with Brighton's other forwards.
Substitutes
SUB: Carlos Baleba (73' for Milner) - 6/10
SUB: Julio Enciso (78' for Welbeck) - 6/10
SUB: Yasin Ayari (89' for Gilmour) - N/A
SUB: Georginio Rutter (89' for Minteh) - N/A
SUB: Simon Adingra (89' for Mitoma) - 7/10
Subs not used: Carl Rushworth (GK), Adam Webster, Igor, Tariq Lamptey.
Manager
Fabian Hurzeler - 8/10 - An impressive display from his side against a talented United team. They coped well defensively for the most part and showed plenty of attacking threat.
Manchester United player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Andre Onana - 6/10 - Picked out some delightful long-range passes in the first half and was helpless for both goals.
RB: Noussair Mazraoui - 7/10 - A solid performance from the summer signing, who even grabbed an assist for Amad's leveller. Fought tirelessly with Mitoma and often came out on top.
CB: Harry Maguire - 5/10 - Should have cleared the initial cross that eventually led to Brighton's opening goal, which was a notable error in an otherwise solid display.
CB: Lisandro Martinez - 6/10 - Composed on the ball to help United play through the thirds but sometimes struggled with Welbeck's clever movement.
LB: Diogo Dalot - 6/10 - Dealt remarkably well with the tricky Minteh and was patient in the challenge. Made a clearance off the line early in the second half but was nowhere to be seen as Brighton netted a winner from his side of the pitch.
DM: Casemiro - 6/10 - A largely competent performance from the much-maligned South American, who made some good defensive challenges. Still beaten a little too easily by midfield runners, though.
DM: Kobbie Mainoo - 6/10 - Not his most influential outing in a red jersey but still made some important contributions in both halves.
RW: Amad Diallo - 6/10 - Spurned a great opportunity early doors and was largely wasteful in the final third. He improved after the hour and his goal brought United level.
AM: Mason Mount - 6/10 - Showed a keen appetite to press ferociously, forcing Brighton into some early errors. Harshly withdrawn for Joshua Zirkzee at half-time.
LW: Marcus Rashford - 4/10 - This was a 2023/24 performance from Rashford, who was on the fringes of things for the most part. Understandably swapped for Garnacho after an hour.
ST: Bruno Fernandes - 6/10 - Wasn't overly involved when leading the line in the first half and was more impactful when reverting to his favoured attacking midfield role after the break.
Substitutes
SUB: Joshua Zirkzee (46' for Mount) - 5/10 - Not overly involved in the final third and ended up costing United a winner, even if he was a tad unfortunate to do so.
SUB: Alejandro Garnacho (65' for Rashford) - 7/10
SUB: Matthijs de Ligt (79' for Maguire) - 5/10
SUB: Scott McTominay (79' for Fernandes) - 5/10
SUB: Antony (89' for Diallo) - N/A
Subs not used: Altay Bayindir (GK), Jonny Evans, Christian Eriksen, Toby Collyer.
Manager
Erik ten Hag - 6/10 - Some more encouraging signs from his team but a lack of concentration proved costly for his side. The Dutchman isn't to blame for his side's late defeat, though.
