Manchester United 2 Brighton and Hove Albion 3
Two goals in a five-minute spell in the second half were enough for Brighton and Hove Albion to dump Manchester United out of a cup competition for the second time in nine months.
It was quite the comeback for Brighton, having gone two goals down in the opening 10 minutes, with Shea Lacey striking first, followed by Mason Mount pouncing on a rebound.
Charalampos “Babis” Kostoulas pulled one back in first-half stoppage time but the great fight back came midway through the second half thanks to Pascal Gross and Maxim De Cuyper.
Albion claimed a famous victory in their League Cup third round tie at Old Trafford tonight just over eight months after dumping United out of the FA Cup in the third round at the same ground in January.
Loud booing from the home fans signalled a less forgiving mood than was evident at Coventry on Sunday (13 September) when City supporters rallied audibly behind their newly promoted side as the Sky Blues reeled from a 5-0 thumping at Brighton’s hands.
The defeat tonight follows the controversial 1-0 loss to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday and yet the game started well for the hosts.
Academy graduate Lacey kissed the badge after marking his first start with an eighth-minute goal only a day after it emerged that the promising 15-year-old JJ Gabriel had asked to leave.
Mount thundered home the second just two minutes later, having collected the ball from a rebound.
Brighton battled to get back in the game and their perseverance paid off in the first minute of first-half added time. Jaouen Hadjam crossed the ball into the box and Kostoulas was well placed to hammer it home.
Both sides tussled for supremacy after the interval but it was Brighton who broke the deadlock in the 65th minute.
Luka Vuskovic played in Gross who was unmarked inside the box and the German midfielder made no mistake, burying the ball in the bottom right corner to level the score.
Four minutes later and United’s surrender was complete. Kostoulas played the ball to De Cuyper who had only just come on as a sub. The Belgium international struck the ball sweetly to give the visitors a well-deserved lead.
When the ball went in, the booing began and it got louder at the final whistle, heaping pressure on manager Michael Carrick. It was the first time for 50 years that United have lost at Old Trafford after having gone two goals in front.
The next test for Fabian Hürzeler and his high-flying Seagulls looks even tougher, with Arsenal due to visit the Amex in the Premier League on Saturday (19 September). The match is due to start at 3pm.
