MU beat Brighton 4-2 at Old Trafford: Mbeumo and Cunha shine.
MU beat Brighton 4-2 at Old Trafford: Mbeumo scored a brace, Cunha and Casemiro contributed; Welbeck and Kostoulas pulled one back for the visitors, extending MU's winning streak to three.
Manchester United broke their losing streak against Brighton with a 4-2 victory at Old Trafford. Matheus Cunha opened the scoring in the 24th minute, Casemiro doubled the lead, before Bryan Mbeumo completed his brace in the 61st and 90+7th minutes. Brighton scored two goals from a beautiful free-kick by Danny Welbeck (74') and a header by Kostoulas (90'+2). This was MU's third consecutive Premier League win.
Dramatic endings and decisive moments
Pushing forward in search of an equalizer, Brighton reduced the deficit to 2-3 in the 90+2 minute from a Milner corner kick, with Kostoulas rising high to head the ball past Lammens. However, in the 90+7th minute, MU sealed the victory: Heaven played a through pass, Bruno Fernandes cleverly flicked the ball away to create space for Mbeumo to finish with a diagonal shot, making it 4-2.
Earlier in the 88th minute, Kadioglu's shot from over 30 meters forced Lammens to make a diving save, keeping MU's advantage during Brighton's comeback.
Key developments over time
- 1': Mbeumo crosses from the right for Bruno Fernandes to head the ball wide of the post.
- 7': Welbeck crosses the ball, Minteh rushes in but misses the shot from inside the 5.5-meter box.
- 13': Brighton are implementing a midfield passing game, maintaining good control of the connecting distances.
- 16': Cunha maneuvers at the edge of the penalty area and shoots, forcing Verbruggen to make a save.
- 24': 1-0 MU, Matheus Cunha curls a right-footed shot into the far corner after a pass from Casemiro.
- 34': 2-0 MU, Casemiro shoots from over 20m after a high-pressure attack; the ball deflects off Ayari and beats Verbruggen.
- 37': Dunk heads the ball into the net from close range after a corner kick on the right, almost reducing the deficit for Brighton.
- 45': The first half ends with MU leading 2-0.
- 48': Cunha backheeled the ball, Bruno cleverly weaved past two defenders but his shot went straight to Verbruggen.
- 54': Sesko takes a volley from the second line, Verbruggen reacts in time.
- 61': 3-0 MU, MU intercepts the ball in midfield, Sesko plays a through pass for Mbeumo to shoot with his left foot into the near corner.
- 69': Coach Rúben Amorim withdraws Shaw, Casemiro, Amad; cast Heaven, Mainoo, Dorgu.
- 71': Bruno steals the ball, passes it back to Mbeumo whose shot hits the post.
- 74': 3-1, Welbeck takes a free kick from the edge of the 16.5-meter line, the ball curls beautifully into the corner.
- 88': Kadioglu shoots from distance, Lammens makes a save.
- 90'+2: 3-2, Kostoulas heads in from Milner's corner kick.
- 90'+7: 4-2, Heaven delivered a through ball, Bruno lifted his leg, and Mbeumo finished decisively.
Tactical perspective: MU's three central defenders, high pressing and counter-attacking down the axis.
MU deployed a three-center-back system consisting of De Ligt, Yoro, and Shaw, with Amad and Dalot on the flanks, Bruno Fernandes alongside Casemiro in the middle, and an attacking trio of Mbeumo, Cunha, and Sesko. This arrangement gave MU a personnel advantage in ball development and allowed them to proactively press immediately after losing possession.
The 2-0 goal came from high-pressure pressing: the midfield forced the opponent into making mistakes, and Casemiro immediately punished them with a deflected long-range shot. For the 3-0 goal, MU switched to a sharper attack: intercepting the ball in midfield, Sesko launched a straight pass, and Mbeumo moved diagonally behind the defender into space to finish into the near corner.
Cunha played the role of a forward who could drop back to hold up the ball and create links (backheeling the ball to Bruno in the 48th minute), and also sealed the victory with a curling shot to open the scoring. Mbeumo exploited the right flank – where he frequently appears in the gap between Brighton's full-back and center-back – and finished with a brace.
Brighton employed a four-man defense with Wieffer - Dunk - Van Hecke - Kadioglu, with Baleba - Ayari as the central attacking midfielder; up front Minteh - Rutter - De Cuyper supported Welbeck. Their chances mainly came from set pieces (Dunk 37', Kostoulas 90'+2) and individual moments (Welbeck's free kick 74', Kadioglu's powerful shot 88').
Starting lineup and substitutions
Manchester United: Lammens; De Ligt, Yoro, Shaw; Amad, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dalot; Mbeumo, Cunha, Sesko.
Brighton: Verbruggen; Wieffer, Dunk, Van Hecke, Kadioglu; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, Rutter, De Cuyper; Welbeck.
MU substitution (69')Heaven, Mainoo, and Dorgu came on to replace Shaw, Casemiro, and Amad.
Key statistics
| Minute | Event | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 24' | Cunha curled the ball into the net to open the scoring. | 1-0 |
| 34' | Casemiro takes a long-range shot, the ball changes direction. | 2-0 |
| 61' | Mbeumo takes a shot at the near post. | 3-0 |
| 74' | Welbeck's penalty kick reduced the deficit. | 3-1 |
| 90'+2 | Kostoulas headed the ball in from the corner. | 3-2 |
| 90'+7 | Mbeumo completes the brace. | 4-2 |
- The second half had 7 minutes of added time.
- MU hit the post once (Mbeumo 71').
- Brighton created 3 major chances from set pieces: Dunk (37'), Welbeck (74'), Kostoulas (90'+2).
Impact and context
The 4-2 victory extended MU's winning streak to three matches in the Premier League and, more importantly, broke their losing streak against Brighton, a team that usually causes problems. The way MU scored – effective pressing and direct transitions – showed a clear tactical approach under manager Rúben Amorim, with notable contributions from Mbeumo, Cunha, and Casemiro.
