Manchester United 1-3 Brighton: Red Devils fall to Seagulls as Onana''s error proves costly
Manchester United suffered a disappointing 3-1 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Sunday, as the visitors’ Yankuba Minteh stole the show with a goal and an assist. United’s woes were compounded by a critical mistake from goalkeeper Andre Onana that gifted Brighton their third goal.
Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma and Georginio Rutter added to the scoresheet in the second half, while a potential goal from Joao Pedro was disallowed by VAR due to a foul in the buildup. United’s sole response came from Bruno Fernandes, who converted a penalty to level the match 1-1 at halftime.
The loss leaves Manchester United languishing in 13th place with 26 points from 22 games, while Brighton climb to ninth with 34 points, just four shy of the top four.
"Another loss at home. It's not acceptable, the way we conceded the goals," lamented 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."
Brighton wasted no time making their mark, opening the scoring inside five minutes. Carlos Baleba’s perfectly weighted long ball released Mitoma on the left, who crossed to an unmarked Minteh for a straightforward finish.
United found a way back into the match midway through the first half when Brighton’s goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen misplayed a pass out of defense, allowing Joshua Zirkzee to gain possession in the box. Baleba’s contact on Zirkzee earned United a penalty, which Fernandes calmly converted to bring the hosts level.
Brighton appeared to regain the lead early in the second half when Joao Pedro finished a loose ball from a free-kick, but VAR intervened, ruling out the goal due to a foul by Jan Paul van Hecke on Diogo Dalot.
The visitors were undeterred and struck again on the hour mark. Minteh provided an inviting cross that Mitoma stretched to meet, beating United defender Noussair Mazraoui to slot the ball home.
The match was sealed when Onana mishandled a low cross, spilling the ball into the path of Rutter, who tapped it in to secure Brighton’s third goal and leave United reeling from their 10th league defeat of the season—reaching double figures earlier than any campaign since 1989-90.
The match began with a poignant tribute to Manchester United legend Denis Law, who passed away earlier this week. Former manager Sir Alex Ferguson laid a wreath at the center circle as bagpipes played in the late icon’s honor.
Brighton’s victory marks their sixth win in their last seven league meetings with United and their third consecutive win at Old Trafford.
"It’s hard to play here, but we stayed calm and played with confidence," said Brighton’s Rutter. "The season is long, and we have to keep going like this, taking it game by game, and we’ll see at the end."
United now face growing pressure to salvage their season, while Brighton’s steady climb keeps them in contention for European qualification.
SportsLigue