Man United reach new low with shambolic Brighton defeat in nightmare week | OneFootball

There was history in the ignominy. Manchester United can specialise in finding new ways to rewrite the record books. For a club who keep recording new lows, this was not one, but several.

It was the first time in half a century that United had led 2-0 at Old Trafford and lost, since a 3-2 Tottenham triumph over Tommy Docherty’s team in 1976. Not since 1984 had they been winning at home at half-time and been beaten; Ipswich’s 2-1 victory against Ron Atkinson’s United has now been superseded. Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, United had gone 2-0 up on their own turf 145 times, won 143 and lost none.

They never surrendered such a lead at Old Trafford under David Moyes or Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho or Ralf Rangnick, Erik ten Hag or Ruben Amorim. They did under Michael Carrick as his dreadful week took a turn for the worse.

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Brighton celebrated as Man United were left bereft (AP)

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Michael Carrick has plenty to ponder (PA)

United went 2-0 up and went from euphoric to embarrassed. “The feeling at the start of the game to the feeling at the end of the game couldn't have been further apart,” admitted Carrick.

After the Manchester derby defeat, after JJ Gabriel’s shock revelation that he wants to leave came a capitulation to bring elimination from the Carabao Cup. Lose at Fulham on Sunday and United’s will be out of the Premier League title race before the end of September. As it is, United have now lost their last four domestic cup ties and while going out to Grimsby last year was excruciating, it was the manner of this collapse that was so shameful. “We can't accept that as a group,” said Carrick. It was unacceptable, in every way.

Amid the inquest into their latest humiliation, Brighton & Hove Albion merit praise: for a remarkable comeback and an extraordinary record at Old Trafford. They have triumphed on United turf in five successive seasons. They have knocked them out of two cup competitions in 2026 alone.

A night that began terribly for Fabian Hurzeler ended superbly and, as both managers used their squads, Brighton’s capacity to find unheralded gems was a factor. They have also pocketed £65m from United for Carlos Baleba who, still injured, watched on. He has joined a club heading towards crisis.

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Carlos Baleba is still yet to make his Man United debut after a big-money move from Brighton (PA Wire)

Certainly United illustrated why they could do with Baleba. Given an ideal start, they were overrun and outmanoeuvred in midfield, losing all control. The partnership of the summer signings Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans – the latter captaining United on just his sixth appearance – floundered at Hull last month, were reunited and fared just as badly.

Yet United were still worse in the heart of defence, in the absence of the rested Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire. Meanwhile, Carrick’s decision to give Senne Lammens a night off backfired when the debutant goalkeeper Karl Darlow was at fault for Brighton’s first goal. He wasn’t alone in that, however.

Brighton’s trio of goals were proof of their resourcefulness and attacking spirit. They were also awful defensively.

United switched off on the stroke of half time as Jaouen Hadjam, making his first start for Brighton, caught Ayden Heaven dozing with a diagonal ball. Darlow was too slow to come off his line and Charalampos Kostoulas drove in a first-time shot.

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Charalampos Kostoulas got Brighton back intot he game with his goal on the stroke of half-time (Getty)

Diogo Dalot made the initial error for Albion’s equaliser, looking for Benjamin Sesko but seeing Luka Vuskovic intercept his pass and head the ball forward from the centre circle. United had a void where they needed a centre-back partnership, meaning Pascal Gross was unmarked. The German, a familiar scourge of United, scored his seventh goal against them; there are plenty of United players who have got fewer goals at Old Trafford than Gross. “Compare him with a good wine, the older a wine gets the better,” said Hurzeler.

The impressive Kostoulos is 16 years younger than Gross. The striker carried on bullying the United defence. After he broke clear and saw a cross deflected off Noussair Mazraoui, Maxim De Cuyper lifted a shot into the roof of the net. The substitute had only been on the pitch for three minutes. Perhaps he symbolised how Hurzeler’s changes first failed and then succeeded spectacularly.

The German made six alterations, gave three full debuts and switched to a back three. “When you go to a place like here you need to have belief and then to show it when you are 2-0 down shows real character,” said Hurzeler. It was required when United took what should have been a comfortable lead inside 10 minutes.

Initially, United got a welcome antidote to Gabriel’s news: a goal from a teenage winger and from an academy product. The 15-year-old had been pencilled in to play. Only Carrick may know if it would have been instead of Shea Lacey but the 19-year-old became the first United youth product to score on his maiden start for the club since Marcus Rashford a decade ago. “It’s a shame Shea’s moment got lost a bit,” Carrick said.

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Shea Lacey’s goal was an early bright spot for United (Reuters)

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But things still ended catastrophically (Getty)

Lacey held off Hadjam and powered in a left-footed shot from 16 yards. Then Rashford – perhaps proof to Gabriel that forwards can change their mind and choose to stay at Old Trafford – had a shot blocked and Mason Mount converted the rebound.

Two goals ahead, United seemed to have booked their spot in the next round. Not so. “The game can't go in that direction from where we were,” rued Carrick.

He seemed too ineffective as Brighton took the ascendancy. “The longer the game went, the more we had control,” said Hurzeler and, while Jason Steele made a terrific save to deny Benjamin Sesko an equaliser, otherwise Brighton were rampant.

United were shambolic at the back. Old Trafford booed at the end. “I totally take responsibility,” said Carrick. But there should be plenty of blame to go around.