Simon Mail was at the Amex. Here’s his report. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
Bruno Fernandes adds: “What we did today, what I did today was not enough to be in a Manchester United shirt, and I accept that.”
Ralf Rangnick, after his penultimate match in charge of United, talks to Sky. “From the first minute until the last, this was just not enough, in all important areas we were second best. We can only apologise to our supporters. It was a terrible performance and a humiliating defeat. We just gave them too much time and space, we were never in a position to stop them playing through our lines. We told the players to be compact, to put pressure on them, but we could not stop them. I don’t think they ignored the game plan, we just could not stop them. We had big problems with their wing backs, they were high and wide. In hindsight, maybe it was too much of a risk to change to 4-4-2 [after the break] but we had to try to change the energy. We were just second best in all relevant areas. Had we continued to play as we did in the first half, it also would have been just a question of time before conceding the second goal. That’s why I went to more of a risk. But at 4-0 after 60 minutes, it was a disaster for us. As a team we didn’t defend at all. Brighton are good on the ball and if you allow them that much space and time, it was easy for them. In games like today and at Everton, there was a lack of energy and aggression. In the first three or four months we were on the right pathway, but in the last four weeks we have been really poor.”
Graham Potter speaks to Sky. “We’ve had a bit of pain here this season, in terms of not winning in front of our supporters, so we owed them one. It’s a special evening for us. A fantastic performance and an amazing result. In an ideal world, you want to get your points at home in front of your supporters, and it was nice to give them a game, a performance, and a memory. We’re delighted. The boys did everything they could. You have some moments in football that aren’t great, but today’s a good one! It’s 47 points, an improvement, and we’re really happy.”
The verdict from both managers still to come ... so don’t go anywhere yet! Instead, open up another tab for Simon Mail’s match report.
‘... and Smith Must Score’ dept. “I’ve been waiting for that score since the Cup Final replay of 1983,” writes Ceri Rees, currently in Zanzibar but wishing he’d been there. “Revenge!!!”
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Marc Cucurella was also all smiles, and why not? He explains how hard it has been to move to a new country and learn a new language, but the hard work has paid off, and this sort of result serves as a thank-you present for his family. It’s another lovely moment on pretty much a perfect day for Brighton.
Lewis Dunk speaks to Sky: “It was a special day. They are a top side, and we had to be at our best today. We’ve let our home fans down a lot this year, and to come to the end of the season and reward them with that, it was a nice moment. It’s a great win. We go away and have a nice evening.”
The Amex erupts in celebration. That’s a victory for the ages, and another statement made by Graham Potter’s emerging team. Brighton’s players applaud their fans and soak up the love; United’s have the good grace to look extremely embarrassed as they trudge down the tunnel. As magnificent as Brighton were - and Cucurella, Caicedo, Gross, March and Mac Allister in particular deserve so many plaudits - United were a shambles, their performance a complete fiasco. Brighton consolidate their position in the top half; United now can’t finish any higher than sixth.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 34 | 20 | 61 |
| 6 | Man Utd | 37 | 1 | 58 |
| 7 | West Ham | 35 | 7 | 52 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton | 35 | 1 | 50 |
| 9 | Brighton | 36 | -4 | 47 |
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 35 | 4 | 44 |
FULL TIME: Brighton 4-0 Manchester United
Brighton’s humiliation of Manchester United is complete. It’s their first win at the Amex in 2022!
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90 min +2: Ronaldo has a whack from the edge of the Brighton box. Blocked. The ball breaks to Dalot on the right. He has a go from a tighter angle. Sanchez, who has been superb, claims.
90 min +1: On Sky, co-commentator Alan Smith names Moises Caicedo as man of the match.
90 min: Gross takes. Webster wins a header. De Gea claims. There will be three added minutes.
89 min: Gross’s free kick rebounds back to him, whereupon he and Cucurella take turns to showcase some fancy footwork out on the flank. Cucurella eventually sends a cross out of play for a goal kick. Brighton come again in short order, Gross sending a low swerver towards the bottom right, forcing De Gea to tip around the post.
88 min: Cucurella’s fancy flick down the left foxes McTominay, who then bundles over Caicedo in a mixture of frustration and embarrassment. Free kick, just to the side of the United box. Gross takes ... but can’t clear the first man.
86 min: ... so having said that, McTominay ships possession 30 yards from his own goal. Welbeck snaffles the ball, takes a couple of strides forward, and unleashes an outswinger towards the top left. It’s beaten De Gea all ends up, but it also beats the left-hand post by inches. A fifth, by their former player, would have put the tin lid on it for United.
85 min: Bissouma needlessly clanks Fred to the floor near the right-hand touchline. Fernandes curls the free kick in for Maguire, who attempts to bundle home, but the flag goes up for offside. To be fair, United have been much improved since going four behind but ... well, I won’t insult your intelligence by pointing out the problem inherent in that.
83 min: Trossard makes way for Maupay.
81 min: Cucurella is allowed to dribble down the middle, unchallenged, for a good while. United are fortunate that only Welbeck has kept up with him, and the attack eventually breaks down. United’s lack of tracking back speaks volumes.
79 min: A free kick for United out on the left as Fred is clipped by Veltman. It’s in a dangerous position just to the side of the Brighton box, but Fernandes flaps a poor one straight down Sanchez’s throat.
78 min: The teamsheets are in at Anfield, by the way. Barry Glendenning has all the details.
76 min: As if United haven’t been troubled enough, here comes the livewire Tariq Lamptey. He replaces March.
75 min: Telles crosses from the left. Sanchez claims. The Amex bounces. What an atmosphere!
74 min: Fernandes has a strike from distance. Sanchez claims without any fuss. “Surely the sadness was that it had taken so long to bake the cake in question,” writes Jimmy Webb John Little. “This united team looks like something a bunch of students cooked up after closing time on an end-of-term Friday.”
72 min: Dalot whistles a low cross in from the right. Bissouma stops it getting to Ronaldo by conceding a corner. Fernandes takes it long. Maguire wins a header and sends the ball towards the bottom left. Sanchez sticks out a strong hand. The ball bounces back to Maguire, who sends a low shot across the face of goal. Cavani turns it in by the right-hand post, but he’s clearly offside. He drop-kicks the ball away in frustration.
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71 min: Ronaldo slices an ambitious effort wide. Then speak of the red devil ... here comes Maguire. He replaces Mata.
70 min: It’s been a good day for Harry Maguire, if nobody else associated with United. “This United team is well beyond tactical analysis for me,” begins Matthew Richman. “The level of professional effort from this team is deplorable, and it’s a small wonder why. I wouldn’t be too motivated to play my heart out for a club molded more around marketing prestige than on-pitch success, backed by disliked and largely absent owners. I’ve been a Manchester United fan my whole life, and I will always be so despite all reason, but there is so little that is likeable about this club these days.”
68 min: Fernandes takes a pop from distance. His shot is deflected wide left. Corner. The set piece is worked long to Fernandes, who sends a screamer through a thicket of players but straight at Sanchez, who parries. Brighton have been sensational today, and Sanchez has more than done his bit.
67 min: One corner leads to another. Before it can be taken, Mac Allister makes way for Webster. The second corner is cleared confidently by De Gea.
65 min: It should be five. Gross and Mac Allister pour through a huge gap in the United defence. Mac Allister is waiting to tap home near the left-hand post, when Dalot arrives and takes the ball off his toe. It pings off the base of the post and out for a corner. United look punch drunk.
63 min: “You’re not fit to wear the shirt.” Not sure who’s singing that, whether it’s the United fans berating this rabble, or Brighton supporters taking the mick. It could be either or both, couldn’t it. United try to respond, Mata crossing from the left, Cavani flashing a header goalwards. Sanchez parries clear. Nothing’s going United’s way.
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62 min: There’s a long VAR check, but the ball hit Trossard in the midriff. Welbeck wasn’t offside, either. The referee points to the centre circle, and can anybody believe what’s going on here?!
GOAL! Brighton 4-0 Manchester United (Trossard 60)
Brighton’s fans give it the olés ... then, if that’s not embarrassing enough for United, Gross slips a pass down the inside-right channel for Welbeck, who enters the box and looks to lob De Gea. Dalot acrobatically scoops off the line, but only slams the ball into Trossard’s chest. Trossard trundles home, and United are falling to bits like cake left out in the rain. Oh no nooo!
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58 min: Ronaldo reacts to the goal by shrugging his shoulders and smiling wryly. What can a man do?
GOAL! Brighton 3-0 Manchester United (Gross 57)
This is an astonishing goal! Sanchez sprays a diagonal pass towards Cucurella on the left touchline. Cucurella traps and rolls infield for Trossard, who strolls into United’s box and lays off for Gross, who takes a touch to round Varane on the left, then steers a shot across De Gea and into the bottom right. A peach of a move!
56 min: Mata latches onto a poor clearing header from Veltman. On the edge of the D, he swivels and volleys the dropping ball straight down Sanchez’s throat. A decent effort out of not very much, by some distance United’s best this evening.
55 min: Mata’s speculative ball forward is headed out by Dunk for a corner. The set piece is a nervy shambles which Dalot tries to rescue with a shot from distance. Miles over the bar. The camera catches De Gea up the other end; he wears the look of a man who can’t believe what’s going on in front of him.
53 min: Mata crosses from the left. Cucurella eyebrows the ball away from danger. Brighton counter. Welbeck probes down the left. He’s forced to check back, but then Gross releases March down the right with a cute backheel. March’s low cross is hacked clear by Lindelof.
51 min: In fact, a three-goal lead wouldn’t flatter Brighton, and they nearly get it as Trossard twists and turns his way down the left, reaching the corner of the six-yard box. He can’t find a team-mate with his dinked cross and United clear their lines. The visitors are all over the place at the back.
GOAL! Brighton 2-0 Manchester United (Cucurella 49)
A first Brighton goal for Cucurella ... and what a goal! A throw on the right. Mac Allister chests down and fires low through the six-yard box. Trossard retrieves the ball on the left and cuts back for Cucurella, who roofs a rising thrash into the top left! Brighton deserve this scoreline.
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47 min: Dalot goes into the book for a reckless, frustrated slide on Mac Allister.
Brighton get the second half underway. United have been behind at half-time on nine previous occasions this season: they’ve gone on to lose seven and draw two. Hoping to buck this trend, they’ve brought on Cavani and Fred in place of Matic and Elanga. “Mata, Matic. and Bruno means Man U are pretty slow footed in midfield,” begins Gene Salorio. “Not exactly a good fit for the counters that Rangnick mentions in your lead-in to the MBM. Solskjær was limited but I remain mystified as to how Rangnick is an improvement.”
A lovely moment at half time. As Iain Pearson mentioned on 17 minutes, Brighton saved their league status 25 years ago at Hereford’s expense. The club was on its uppers back then, with so much on their mind that they didn’t get round to naming a player of the year. That’s been fixed now with a fan vote, and Stuart Storer has been named as 1996-97 player of the year. All smiles, he was handed a silver platter as reward. Wonderful scenes.
Half-time entertainment. A big, potentially season-defining game at Anfield follows this match. Barry Glendenning will be on MBM duty, but in the meantime, here’s Barney Ronay’s preview.
HALF TIME: Brighton 1-0 Manchester United
This scoreline flatters United. Brighton are passing around them at will. If they don’t get their act together, they’ll lose their fifth away game in a row, the sort of sequence they’ve not suffered since the days of Dave Sexton.
45 min: Ronaldo is booked for a poor sliding tackle on Dunk. It wasn’t malicious, simply mistimed to a comical degree, Ronaldo clipping his opponent’s ankle in slow-motion instalments. Action ideally accompanied by slide whistle and cymbal.
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44 min: Mac Allister, March, Bissouma and Gross draw some pretty triangles down the inside-right channel and nearly open United up. Mac Allister is caught offside.
43 min: Sanchez larrups long. Varane miscontrols, with De Gea on walkabout. Welbeck nips in between the pair and tries to lob the stranded keeper. He gets too much on it, the ball floating over the bar. Big chance to double Brighton’s lead.
42 min: United make a meal of clearing the free kick, and Brighton want a penalty for an alleged McTominay handball. Neither referee nor VAR shows any interest.
41 min: A frustrated Matic needlessly barges March in the back, and this is a free kick just to the right of the United penalty area. Everyone loads the box. Gross to take.
40 min: Gross shovels a pass down the right to release March into acres of space. Fortunately for United, March’s cutback is no good.
39 min: Ronaldo hoofs an awful free kick miles over the bar. The home fans jeer/ cheer ironically.
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38 min: Fernandes dribbles down the centre and is clumsily clipped by Caicedo. A free kick, 25 yards out, in a central position. Ronaldo’s eyes light up.
37 min: A little bit of sterile possession for United in the centre of the park. Baby steps as they try to get a foothold in the match.
35 min: McTominay ships possession, allowing Trossard to drag a shot wide right from the edge of the box. Brighton are utterly dominant, though they haven’t given De Gea any more work to do since the goal.
34 min: Brighton come again, Gross fizzing a dangerous low ball across the face of goal from the right. And again, Gross slipping March into acres down the right. The flag pops up, incorrectly, for offside, and United breathe a sigh of relief.
32 min: United still can’t get out. Brighton are controlling play. They work the ball left to right for Gross, who curls yet another cross into the United box. The visitors clear, but can’t find anyone upfield.
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31 min: The corner’s sent long, Cucurella has a dig but his shot is blocked, and it’s not long before the ball is shuttled all the way back to Sanchez in the Brighton goal.
30 min: Brighton are first to absolutely everything at the moment. Gross is causing problems down the right, while Cucurella is giving Elanga all manner of bother on the other flank. United can’t get out, and Gross wins a corner on the right. He’ll take it himself.
28 min: One long pass down the left flank drops to Welbeck, just inside the United box. The former United striker opens his body and sidefoots wildly over the bar. A decent half-chance, that, and one which caught McTominay and Lindelof sleeping.
27 min: Bissouma wins the ball in a crunch 50-50 with Elanga but also catches his man. No foul or booking, which doesn’t impress Elanga’s team-mate Ronaldo at all. You’ve certainly seen them given. Elanga is good to continue.
25 min: A lovely pitch-long sweeping move by Brighton from the right-back position to Trossard on the left wing, featuring March, Caicedo, Gross and Cucurella. Trossard cuts in and sees his shot from the edge of the box deflected wide right for a corner, from which nothing comes. That’s some lovely football, though. Brighton are so much fun to watch when they get the wind behind.
23 min: Trossard clanks into Mata as the United midfielder works his way down the right. Free kick. Everyone lines up on the edge of the Brighton box. Fernandes scoops into the box. McTominay wins a header, but it’s directionless and easily cleared by the hosts.
21 min: Elanga tries to release Ronaldo down the middle but Veltman gets across to intercept. Ronaldo goes down on the edge of the box, but whatever it is he’s looking for, he’s not getting it.
20 min: Matic is afforded an absurd amount of time and space down the inside-left channel. He lays off for Mata, whose shot is deflected over the bar for another United corner. The set piece finds Matic in space, just to the right of the D. He shins ignominiously over the bar.
18 min: United try to respond instantly. Mata crosses from a deep position on the right. Veltman is forced to flick out for a corner. A subsequent game of head tennis in the Brighton box leads to nothing.
17 min: Caicedo a self-confessed United fan in his youth, too! “I am an old-school Brighton fan who started at the Goldstone and still remembers the Hereford 1 Brighton 1 point that saved us from dropping out of league football,” begins Iain Pearson. “I still feeling sorry for those Hereford fans, but there for the grace of god. Scarred for life, I still look down the table before I look up, but Burnley’s loss makes us safe for this season. Come on you Seagulls: three more victories and who knows, my new-found and temporary optimism has me wondering about Europe.”
GOAL! Brighton 1-0 Manchester United (Caicedo 15)
The game falls a bit quiet ... then the Amex erupts! March chests a ball down on the edge of the box for Gross, whose shot is blocked by Telles. The ball breaks to Caicedo, who from 25 yards threads a low drive into the bottom left! De Gea, perhaps unsighted, couldn’t get across in time.
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13 min: Gross loops a free kick into the United box. Dunk, to the left of the six-yard box, chests down and crosses, but Lindelof heads clear confidently.
11 min: Dalot hustles Mac Allister off the ball on the right touchline, and for a second looks like breaking into space along that flank. Caicedo comes across to help his team-mate and stop Dalot in his tracks.
9 min: Fernandes finds Mata on the edge of the Brighton box. Mata feeds Telles down the left, but the resulting cross is no good. That’s United’s most progressive sequence so far, though. It’s been a sluggish start by the visitors otherwise.
8 min: Matic sticks out an arm and catches Bissouma flush in the grid. Accidental, but that doesn’t stop it being sore. Bissouma goes down, but after a quick check is back up on his feet and good to go.
6 min: Brighton haven’t yet won at home in the calendar year of 2022. The early exchanges suggest they’re in the mood to change that today. Plenty of possession.
4 min: Gross fires the corner long. Dunk rises at the far post but, under pressure from Elanga, can’t meet the ball in any significant fashion. A confident start by Brighton nevertheless.
3 min: March waltzes down the right and wins the first corner of the afternoon/evening. Brighton play it short and win a second corner.
2 min: Brighton spend the first couple of minutes establishing some passing rhythm. Then Veltman splits the United defence with a pass down the middle for Trossard, who can’t control first time. But the ball breaks to him to the right, and he stands one up for Welbeck, who eyebrows harmlessly wide.
United get the ball rolling ... but only after everyone takes the knee to warm applause from all corners of the Amex. There’s no room for racism.
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The teams are out! Albion are in their blue and white stripes, while United sport first-choice red. Always an aesthetic treat when both teams can wear their preferred colours, a scene embellished even further by the Saturday sun in a sky so clear and blue. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes.
Ralf Rangnick talks to Sky Sports. “In possession, Brentford was one of our best games. We still had some spaces defensively we didn’t cover at times, but in total it was a convincing performance and we need the same today. We are playing away against a very flexible and technical team, so we need to be compact, and hopefully have our counter-attack moments. It is important the way we perform for the team and our supporters.” As for not popping captain Harry Maguire back into the team? “There was no reason for me to change a team that has just won 3-0.”
Graham Potter speaks to Sky. “Three games to play, and we want to try to compete for all the points. We start today against Manchester United, so it’s going to be an exciting game for everybody, but we want to finish strong. In an ideal world you want to get all your points at home, but it wasn’t to be, so we have to take them away. Forty-four points is good for us, but we want more, so it’ll be nice to get a good couple of performances at home. We’ll do our best.”
Both teams are coming off the back of satisfying three-goal wins, so there aren’t many changes to report. Brighton make one, and it’s enforced: Pascal Gross replaces the injured Enock Mwepu. Manchester United are unchanged. Marcus Rashford is ill, but Harry Maguire, having recovered from a back injury, takes up a place on the bench.
The teams
Brighton & Hove Albion: Sanchez, Veltman, Dunk, Cucurella, March, Bissouma, Caicedo, Trossard, Gross, Mac Allister, Welbeck.
Subs: Lamptey, Webster, Maupay, Lallana, Alzate, Steele, Duffy, Offiah, Ferguson.
Manchester United: de Gea, Dalot, Lindelof, Varane, Telles, McTominay, Matic, Elanga, Mata, Fernandes, Ronaldo.
Subs: Jones, Maguire, Lingard, Fred, Cavani, Henderson, Wan-Bissaka, Fernandez, Garnacho.
Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire).
Preamble
Manchester United are on a seven-game winning run against Brighton & Hove Albion. If they make it eight in a row against the Seagulls today, they’ll be very close to securing Europa League football for next season. Brighton by contrast have very little riding on this game, though a top-half finish would be nice. They’ve won three of their last five, and are coming off the back of a very impressive 3-0 victory at Wolves. United meanwhile will be buoyed by a comfortable 3-0 win over Brentford at Old Trafford last Monday. Kick off at the Amex is at 5.30pm. It’s on!
