Matheus Cunha scored his first goal for Manchester United against Brighton on the weekend but another moment was almost as impressive.
Manchester United made it three wins in a row with a thrilling 4–2 victory over Brighton in the Premier League at Old Trafford.
Buoyed by last weekend’s impressive triumph over Liverpool at Anfield, United played with confidence and control from the outset.
Matheus Cunha opened the scoring midway through the first half, calmly netting his first goal since joining the club in the summer. Casemiro soon made it 2–0 when his shot took a deflection, leaving Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen stranded.
After the restart, Bryan Mbeumo capped off a slick attacking move to extend the lead, but former United striker Danny Welbeck pulled one back for the visitors with a precise free-kick.
Brighton struck again late on to spark a tense finale, yet Mbeumo’s second goal in stoppage time ensured Ruben Amorim’s men secured another deserved three points.
Amorim praises Cunha’s ‘great’ defensive work
Cunha managed to finally score his first United goal and it was an excellent finish to open the scoring in the first half of the game.
But the Brazilian was praised by Amorim for his ‘great’ defensive work throughout the game, with fans also appreciative of the forward player’s work-rate.
“They have a lot of talent. But I really like the way they defend,” Amorim said. “Especially the three in front. I think Cunha did a great job defending and was completely different from the first games.”
During the clash against Brighton, Cunha made three tackles and recoveries, as well as winning seven ground duels.
Cunha work-rate concerns proven wrong
When Cunha signed for United, the media immediately started questioning his work-rate. Statistics about him walking during his time at Wolves suddenly came out. We have never seen walking statistics before.
But those concerns the media highlighted have been proven wrong. Cunha is not like Mbeumo, who works harder than most attacking players in the Premier League, but he still puts in a lot of effort.
Read More: Player Ratings: Manchester United 4-2 Brighton (Premier League)
The Brazilian is also smarter than most players with the ball at his feet. He does not lose it easily and can draw fouls when United are under pressure, like he did against Liverpool.
Cunha will hopefully start providing more excellent moments in front of goal going forward but it seems clear that there will be no issues about his contribution off the ball.
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