Manchester United suffer embarrassing defeat after being trashed by Brighton
2 min read
Manchester United produced a terrible performance to fall to a fifth consecutive away loss in the Premier League as Brighton and Hove Albion thrashed the Red Devils 4-0 at the Amex Stadium.
Moises Caicedo struck a fine first-half effort beyond David de Gea, but worse was to come for United after half-time as Brighton took advantage of a dismal performance from their visitors.
Marc Cucurella, Pascal Gross and Leandro Trossard each scored in quick succession, with the Belgium winger finishing with a goal and two assists.
The result marked a new low in the Red Devils’ woeful season, with their tally of 56 Premier League goals conceded this term representing their most in a single campaign in the competition’s history.
Ralf Rangnick opted not to restore fit-again captain Harry Maguire to his defence, which was breached after 15 minutes when Caicedo drilled a brilliant finish into the bottom-left corner from outside the area.
Victor Lindelof was forced into a last-ditch clearance after a flowing move from the dominant hosts, before Danny Welbeck lobbed over the bar after latching onto Raphael Varane’s poor touch.
Rangnick introduced Fred and Edinson Cavani after watching his team fail to register a shot on target before the break, but Cucurella then side-footed home from Trossard’s 49th-minute cutback.
Brighton ended the game as a contest after 57 minutes when Gross produced a neat left-footed finish after taking Trossard’s pass into his stride, and they were in dreamland as the creator turned scorer three minutes later, bundling in from close range after Welbeck’s chipped effort.
Brighton almost had a fifth after 65 minutes when Diogo Dalot deflected Alexis Mac Allister’s effort against his own post, while Welbeck also narrowly missed the target again as United endured another day to forget – Cavani’s consolation ruled out for offside at the other end.
