Brighton left it very late to sink the Red Devils but fully deserved their win against Erik ten Hag's lacklustre side
Brighton avenged their recent shootout defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final by scoring the latest of penalties to secure a thoroughly deserved 1-0 win over the Red Devils.
A VAR review spotted a handball by Luke Shaw after the five minutes of added time had been played, in a reversal of what happened in this fixture in the 2020-21 campaign, when Bruno Fernandes scored a penalty after the final whistle had initially been blown.
Alexis Mac Allister dispatched his 98th minute spot-kick ruthlessly to boost Brighton's hopes of qualifying for Europe and simultaneously harm United's hopes of securing a top-four spot early.
Although United were unfortunate to lose so late in the game, this was yet another poor away showing by Erik ten Hag's side, who could have taken an early lead but were left to rue Antony missing a real sitter after being played clean through by Bruno Fernandes.
GOAL rates Man Utd's players from the Amex Stadium…
Getty ImagesGoalkeeper & Defence
David de Gea (7/10):
Took an early whack on the head from Mitoma's shot but stayed focused and made a fine save late on to keep out Alexis Mac Allister's low drive, also parrying a last-gasp shot from Caicedo. Could do little about Mac Allister's emphatic penalty.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (8/10):
Dealt expertly with Kaoru Mitoma, keeping tight on him without committing himself and getting beaten. United's man of the match.
Victor Lindelof (5/10):
Shaky in possession, gifting a clear chance to Mitoma. Improved as the game went on.
Luke Shaw (4/10):
Was not very commanding and made a big mistake by leaving his hand in the air to give away the penalty.
Diogo Dalot (6/10):
Had very little joy in attack but was sound defensively.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesMidfield
Fred (5/10):
Brought energy to the midfield but was unable to prise open Brighton and United missed the creative passing of Christian Eriksen, who dropped to the bench.
Casemiro (7/10):
A strong stabilising force although the Brazilian picked up a first-half booking for a tactical foul and then lived on the edge, still diving into tackles and risking getting a second yellow card.
Bruno Fernandes (6/10):
Created the early chance for Antony but did not get much freedom in attack, having to work hard defensively instead.
Getty ImagesAttack
Antony (4/10):
Wasteful and ineffective. Missed the target with a great early chance and grew increasingly frustrated with his inability to get beyond Brighton's defence. Booked for kicking out at Mac Allister.
Anthony Martial (5/10):
Made very few runs behind defence and struggled to link the play or hold the ball up.
Marcus Rashford (6/10):
The only United attacker who looked a threat. Got in down the left wing a few times but his only real shooting chance was saved by the leg of Jason Steele. Took a whack on the ankle from Caicedo.
Getty ImagesSubs & Manager
Jadon Sancho (5/10):
Unable to help United put Brighton under any real pressure.
Marcel Sabitzer (5/10):
Barely got involved in the game when he came on.
Wout Weghorst (N/A):
Only introduced for the final six minutes.
Erik ten Hag (4/10):
Made the wrong call in dropping Eriksen for Fred, meaning United struggled to keep the ball for long periods and allowed Brighton to take the initiative. His changes came too late and offered very little.