In a disappointing turn of events, Manchester United suffered a 3-1 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Sunday. Brighton's winger Yankuba Minteh was the standout performer, scoring one goal and assisting another.
Brighton climbed to ninth place with 34 points, just four points away from the top four, while United found themselves in 13th place with 26 points.
\"Another loss at home. It's not acceptable, the way we conceded the goals,\" said Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim. \"We can play some football, but in small spaces of time. It's not consistent, and we get nervous, and then we concede a goal.\"
This defeat marks Brighton's sixth win in their last seven league encounters against United, including victories in their last three visits to Old Trafford.
The teams were honored before the match with bagpipes in memory of Manchester United legend Denis Law, who passed away this week. A wreath was laid at center circle by former manager Alex Ferguson.
Brighton took the lead within five minutes as Kaoru Mitoma outpaced the offside trap on the left, assisting Minteh for an easy finish. United equalized midway through the first half with a penalty converted by Bruno Fernandes after a poor pass from Brighton's goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
Brighton nearly went ahead again seven minutes into the second half, but a VAR review ruled out Pedro's goal due to a foul by Jan Paul van Hecke on United's Diogo Dalot.
However, Brighton secured their second goal on the hour mark as Mitoma extended at the back post, allowing Minteh to turn in a precise cross. The final goal came from United's own goalkeeper Andre Onana's error, sealing the victory for Brighton.
This loss marks Manchester United's 10th defeat of the league campaign, the earliest they have reached double figures since the 1989-90 season.
