Man Utd win by a narrow margin thanks to an own goal.

Ashley Young was delighted to help Man Utd secure all three points.

Goal: Dunk (own goal) 66'

Manchester United halted their slump following their 0-1 defeat to Basel midweek with a narrow victory over Brighton. The Red Devils' only goal was credited to opposing defender Lewis Dunk for his effort to block Ashley Young's shot from outside the box.

The Old Trafford side achieved their objective of securing all three points, but their victory over Brighton was unconvincing. Their disjointed attacking play and lack of scoring opportunities have left fans doubting Jose Mourinho's team's ability to catch up with Manchester City.

Man Utd achieved their goal of securing three points, but their victory lacked conviction.

The Portuguese manager kept the same lineup from the 4-1 win against Newcastle a week ago, with the attacking trio of Anthony Martial, Juan Mata, and Marcus Rashford playing behind Romelu Lukaku. This formation is theoretically very strong in attack, but the Old Trafford side failed to demonstrate that against the Premier League newcomers this season.

In the first 45 minutes, the red-shirted team controlled possession for nearly 65%, creating three times as many shots as their opponents, but most of them were not dangerous. In the third minute, Lukaku played a one-two in midfield before switching to his preferred left foot. However, the former Everton player's subsequent shot was far too inaccurate.

Manchester United's main attacking tactic in the first half was crosses and headers. However, against the two central defenders, Shane Duffy and Lewis Dunk, both over 1.90m tall, Mourinho's strategy proved ineffective.

Man Utd's most dangerous moments in the first half were Lukaku's close-range header and Pogba's subsequent rebound shot.

The home team's most significant chance came in the final minute of the first half. Rashford crossed the ball from the right wing, perfectly positioned for Lukaku. The Belgian striker took a close-range shot from less than 5 meters, but couldn't beat goalkeeper Mat Ryan. Paul Pogba's subsequent rebound shot also failed to find the net.

Brighton took the initiative in their style of play, and it was the visitors who surprised Man Utd early in the second half by pushing forward and creating threatening attacks towards David De Gea's goal. In the 47th minute, the Red Devils nearly scored from a well-executed cross from the right wing. Fortunately for the home team, none of the visitors were able to capitalize on the opportunity.

Mourinho grew impatient on the touchline and brought on Zlatan Ibrahimovic to replace Mata, who had been unremarkable in his more than an hour on the pitch. Four minutes after the substitution, Man Utd opened the scoring.

Ashley Young's lucky finish

...and the emotional goal celebration of the veteran Englishman.

Originating from a corner kick on the right wing, the visiting team failed to clear the ball decisively. Young surged forward, took his position, and immediately shot with his left foot. The ball deflected off center-back Lewis Dunk, changing direction and curling into the top corner of the net, leaving Ryan with no chance to react.

Despite scoring, Manchester United's attacking play didn't improve, even after Mourinho brought Henrik Mkhitaryan on. Brighton had few scoring opportunities, but the Premier League newcomers' attacks were still dangerous. With a bit of luck, they could have beaten De Gea twice, in the 75th and 85th minutes, after breakthroughs and crosses from the left wing.

The opposition were wasteful, but Man Utd weren't much better. Mourinho switched to a 4-3-3 formation in the final 15 minutes, with Ibrahimovic playing in the center. However, the only mark the veteran Swede left was a toe-poke that went wide of the post in the 88th minute, after a one-two with Pogba.

Ibrahimovic has yet to score a goal since recovering from injury.

With a narrow victory, Man Utd temporarily narrowed the gap with Man City to five points. They also managed to shake off Tottenham, as in the other match played at the same time, Harry Kane and his teammates were held to a 1-1 draw by West Brom.

According to VNE