Brighton delight as Joao Pedro's injury-time winner clinches victory over Manchester United
FAST START: Brighton & Hove Albion's Joao Pedro (right) scores the late goal. Pic: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire.
Manchester United were stunned by a 95th minute injury-time winner from Joao Pedro at the Amex as table-topping Brighton clinched a dramatic 2-1 victory to bring Erik ten Hag's men back down to earth after last weekend's late triumph over FUlham.
The former Watford striker headed home a Simon Adingra cross after new Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler had thrown on all his substitutes on in a bid to clinch a late victory.
The tactic worked as Brighton flooded forward in a bid for three points and stunned United in the dying stages.
Danny Welbeck, the former United striker, had put Albion ahead in the first half before Amad Diallo equalised after the break; and it has been the visitors who looked most likely to snatch victory until Hurzeler’s gamble.
He brought on Adringa, Ayari and new signing Georginio Rutter in the 90th minute, having already called on Julio Enciso and Carlos Baleba minutes earlier; and what an impact it had.
United will be left desperately frustrated because they had a huge opportunity to win this match.
They could have taken all three points if only offside substitute Joshua Zirkzee had not poked home an Alejandro Garnacho shot on the line when it was already heading into the net after 70 minutes with the score still 1-1.
Many fans will now be wondering if this game could mark a changing of the guard at Old Trafford because it saw under-performing Mason Mount, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire all substituted - Mount as early as half-time. And once again they looked far more dangerous with wingers Garnacho and Zirkzee on the pitch.
United started with an unchanged team, resisting the temptation to bring in Zirkzee who scored a winner off the bench against Fulham and that meant Bruno Fernandes once again utilised as a false nine - a tactic which once again didn’t work.
Brighton made just one change, replacing injured midfielder Mats Wieffer with Billy Gilmour. An interesting choice when the former Chelsea man is being heavily linked with a move to Napoli – and Albion have just had a 29.5m euro bid accepted by Celtic midfielder Matt O’Reilly.
That move, should it go through, will take Brighton’s spending this window to almost 230m euros, more than Manchester United have spent. In fact, only Chelsea have shelled out more.
That’s a sign of Brighton’s remarkable transformation from minnows to wannabes, and it will be interesting to see where it takes them. They certainly created some late drama in this match and now have six points from two games, having already won 3-0 at Everton.
United will regret the chances they missed early on.
Diallo somehow turned his shot over the bar when found completely unmarked at the far post from a Dalot cross. Then Casemiro headed over from a superb free-kick- which saw three United players all perfectly positioned to put the ball in the net They were made to pay when Brighton, who had struggled to get going, suddenly found a way through after 32 minutes.
Having won the ball back from Mount they set up a counter-attack which ended with Kauro Mitoma crossing low for Welbeck to squeeze the ball home from close range. His second goal in two games and his sixth against United since leaving Old Trafford.
United critics will say the defending, especially from Maguire, was poor. But they should have been level within 30 seconds.
Jason Steele made a stunning save from Rashford – and when the winger poked the ball back into the net he was ruled offside.
Ten Hag’s reaction was to bring on Zirkzee, for the ineffective Mount, at half-time, but it was Brighton who stepped up a gear – including a header from Welbeck which cannoned off the crossbar.
Just as in the first half, however, the next goal came against the run of play – and it was United who scored it when Diallo fired home ruthlessly after good work from new signing Noussair Mazraoui.
Ten Hag brought on Garnacho after 65 minutes to try and take three points as the game opened up - and it almost worked.
It was so nearly 2-1 five minutes later when Garnacho shot for goal at the far post at the end of a fast breakaway move.
But Zirkzee for some reason touched the ball on the line when it was already going in - and was ruled offside. A big let off for Brighton, who took full advantage when Joao Pedro was left unmarked from Adingra’s late, late cross to head home.
Brighton and their young manager, who is only 31, look like they could be one of the stories of the season. United’s headlines will, inevitably, be less positive after a game in which poor concentration at the back cost them dearly.
Steele 7; Hinshelwood 7, Dunk 6, Van Hecke 8, Veltman 7; Gilmour 7 (Ayari 90; 6), Milner 7 (Baleba 73; 6); Mitoma 7 (Adingra 90; 7), Joao Pedro 7, Minteh 6 (Rutter 90; 6); Welbeck 8 (Enciso 79; 6) Unused subs: Rushworth, Lamptey, Igor Julio, Webster.
Onana 6; Dalot 7, Martinez 7, Maguire 5 (De LIgt 79; 6), Mazraoui 7; Mainoo 8, Casemiro 7; Diallo 7 (Antony 90; 5) Mount 5 (ZIrkzee 46; 7) Rashford 5 (Garnacho 65; 7); Fernandes 6 (McTominay 79; 6) Unused subs: Baynindir, Eriksen, Evans, McTominay, Collyer.
Craig Pawson
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