A Bryan Mbeumo brace and goals from Matheus Cunha and Casemiro secured all three points in a 4-2 win over Brighton on Saturday evening.
Rúben Amorim chose to reinstate Benjamin Šeško up front as Manchester United welcomed Brighton & Hove Albion to Manchester for a Premier League fixture on Sunday evening.
Considering that the visitors had won their last three league fixtures at Old Trafford, the tie started with both teams fighting for possession, as Brighton looked to bait United’s press. At the same time, Amorim’s Reds continued to enact a safety-first long-ball option.
With Brighton looking shaky at the back, United grew in confidence, and after 20 minutes, Matheus Cunha gave the Reds a well-deserved lead. Around 15 minutes later, Casemiro then added a second via a deflected shot from range.
With the seocnd half underway, Šeško brought down a long ball and fed through Bryan Mbeumo, who then added United’s third of the night. Former Carrington Academy star Danny Welbeck then pulled one back for the visitors through a fantastic free kick with 20 minutes to play.
With the game into added time, Charalampos Kostoulas then headed in a corner, giving Brighton hope with minutes to play, but a second goal in the dying moments from Mbeumo secured all three points.
#1 – Cunha gets his rewards
Over the last few fixtures, Cunha has been one of United’s best players, and although he has undoubtedly had his flowers, he’d not had his just deserts before kick-off against Brighton.
However, against Brighton, he looked much more potent in the opening 45 minutes and got his much-deserved goal, which was his first in Red.
In the second half, with United looking to contain their lead as Brighton launched their attack, Cunha became understandibly less involved,
#2 – Lammens continuing where he left off
Much has been made of Senne Lammens’ opening two performances in Red, keeping a clean sheet against Sunderland and playing well against Liverpool, conceding just once while making five saves.
What has been praised so far, beyond his saves, is his commanding presence in the box, and in the first half against Brighton, this continued. The Belgian punched out and caught multiple crosses and corners, which were well-received by the Old Trafford crowd.
For Welbeck’s free kick, there is certianly a notion that he should have saved the effort, and for Brighton’s goal, there is a question surrounding his positioning. However, another game and another win for the Belgian will mean a lot to the 23-year-old.
#3 – Amorim introducing a more complex style of play
In the last two games, Amorim has asked his side to be very route-one. Against both Sunderland and Liverpool, Lammens was asked just to boot the ball upfield whenever he felt he was being pressured.
But against Brighton, United looked to play the ball on the ground more often. While Šeško was still there as an outlet up front if needed, the priority was more so to find Cunha, Mbeumo, and Amad out wide when possible.
In the second half, United wavered a bit through Brighton’s two goals, which shows there is still something to fix, but it’s good to see United scoring four with a more expansive
#4 – Casemiro had a performance to remember
Casemiro’s evening at Old Trafford was fantastic. The Brazilian has been working hard since the turn of the year to regain Amorim’s trust, and he has become an essential part of the starting XI.
Read More: Player Ratings – Manchester United vs Brighton (Premier League)
While he has been dodgy defensively at points, his attacking contributions against Brighton left the Old Trafford fans loving the 33-year-old.
With one game a week, it’s hard to see Casemiro not playing every fixture. However, with December set to introduce midweek games in the laegue, Amorim will have to manage the player.
#5 – United are letting go of the past
The game against Brighton represented the chance for United to slip back into their old ways. Too often, Brighton have overpowered them at Old Trafford, and too often, the club have resoinded to a win such as against Liverpool with a poor and complacent performance.
With United 3-0 up, they looked to be cruzing, although Berighton’s two goals would have had Old Trafford’s hearts in their mouths.
However, the side’s ability to fend off a final attack from Brighton and bring in one final goal to kill the game off shows solid signs of a side who are letting go of their past and builidng a new future at Old Trafford.
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