Perhaps Manchester United fans should have known this wasn’t going to be their night when Lisandro Martinez smashed a wayward shot into Bruno Fernandes‘ face in the warm-up. Fernandes was left with a bloody nose, and Brighton duly gave United another by knocking them out of the FA Cup at Old Trafford.
It’s 44 years since the biggest club in English football last fell at the first hurdle of both domestic cup competitions. But having been humiliated by League Two Grimsby in the Carabao Cup in August, United were eliminated by the excellent Seagulls here thanks to goals from Brajan Gruda and former Old Trafford favourite Danny Welbeck.
Still in peak form at the age of 35, it was Welbeck’s eighth goal against United for Arsenal and Brighton since leaving his hometown club in 2014. He has been linked with his old club on a number of occasions since then, and would have been a far better bet than most of the expensive options United have explored over more than a decade.
Captain for the night, Welbeck helped set up the first for Gruda and then scored with a spectacular shot to give Brighton their fourth win in the last five visits to Old Trafford despite Benjamin Sesko’s late header. United’s misery was complete when young substitute Shea Lacey was sent off on his home debut for a second bookable offence late on.
This result also means United will play the fewest games in a single season since the First World War as defeat in both cups followed the club’s failure to qualify for Europe for only the second time in 35 years. There really are no excuses for the team’s failings.
Darren Fletcher can be spared much of the blame given that he was only installed as caretaker boss last week following Ruben Amorim‘s sacking, and put in charge for two games.
Darren Fletcher’s Old Trafford bow saw Manchester United fall at the first hurdle in the FA Cup
His former team-mate, Danny Welbeck, scored the winner as Brighton beat United 2-1
But after drawing at Burnley in midweek, this was hardly a performance or result to persuade the United hierarchy that he might be an outside contender to be interim head coach until the end of the season instead of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Michael Carrick. The 41-year-old Scot was booked at the end as he vented his frustration at referee Simon Hooper.
Fletcher made three changes to the team that drew at Turf Moor, bringing in Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount and Leny Yoro for Casemiro, Luke Shaw and Ayden Heaven. It was Mainoo’s first start since the embarrassment at Grimsby and, incredibly, his first at Old Trafford since May. It will take time to get back up to speed and he lasted just over an hour before being replaced by Joshua Zirkzee shortly after being booked.
Fabian Hurzeler made six changes for Brighton’s second 500-mile round trip to Manchester following their draw at the Etihad on Wednesday, but you would never have known it such was the fluency of their performance.
Fletcher has reverted to the 4-2-3-1 formation favoured by Erik ten Hag, but the Dutchman never quite solved the problem of his porous midfield and it was the same for United here. With Mainoo alongside Manuel Ugarte, United simply didn’t have enough solidity in the middle and Brighton cut through them far too easily.
Hurzeler’s side were particularly dangerous down their left flank, with full back Fredi Kadioglu getting forward to great effect, and it was from that area of the pitch that they went ahead in the 12th minute. Brighton moved play from right to left where Kadioglu fed Welbeck who got away from Mount far too easily.
The Brighton skipper clipped a cross to the edge of the six-yard box where Georginio Rutter was completely unmarked to meet it with a firm header. Martinez blocked it on the line but only scuffed his clearance as far as Gruda who buried his shot.
They should have gone further ahead two minutes later when Senne Lammens, so solid since his arrival from Antwerp in the summer, made his first real blunder in the United goal.
Receiving a back-pass from Yoro, Lammens tried to play the ball out from the back but gave it straight to Welbeck and got just enough on his shot to prevent a calamitous goal, Rutter offside as he went for the loose ball.
United’s afternoon started in rough fashion when Bruno Fernandes was smashed in the face by a ball during the warm-up
This was hardly a performance or result to persuade the Man United hierarchy that Fletcher is the person to take them forward
Having had 30 shots in Fletcher’s first game at Turf Moor, United tried to get on the front foot as much as they could and it may have been a different story had Diogo Dalot taken his chance in only the second minute when Matheus Cunha’s pass sent him clear. The Portugal defender’s first touch was a little heavy and invited Jason Steele to race out of his goal and make a fine block.
Dalot wouldn’t be United’s first-choice to be in a goalscoring position, and when he got free in the box again just before half-time a fluffed backheel rather summed up his attacking threat.
In between, United did have their moments. Fernandes had one free kick well saved by Steele and fired another wide with a disguised low effort. Olivier Boscagli threw his body in the way of blockbuster shot by Martinez that might have caused more damage than a bloodied nose, and Cunha was narrowly off target just before half-time.
Fletcher went down the tunnel urging the Stretford End to raise the noise a few decibels, and emerged from it 15 minutes later with a similar message as he returned to the dugout.
The game continued in a similar pattern, though; an open game with Brighton edging it on balance. Rutter diverted a Fernandes corner past his own upright, and Joel Veltman blasted over after a free kick at the other end.
Fletcher waited until the hour mark to make some changes, sending on Zirkzee for Mainoo and Lacey for the ineffective Mount. The mood around Old Trafford soon fell flat, however, as Brighton increased their lead two minutes later.
Patrick Dorgu didn’t get tight enough on Gruda when he got the ball on the right, and Yoro was equally guilty of giving Welbeck time and space when he received a pass from the German, taking one touch and smashing an unstoppable shot past Lammens.
United rallied and pulled a goal back in the 85th minute when Sesko rose above Harry Maguire and three Brighton defenders to guide a header inside the near post from Fernandes’ corner for his third goal of the week. If nothing else, Fletcher deserves credit for reviving the misfiring Slovenia striker.
18-year-old Shea Lacey was sent off late on after a showing of dissent saw him receive a second yellow card
United were, ultimately, dumped out of another cup competition at the fist attempt – thanks to their former forward Danny Welbeck
But there was to be no comeback and Lacey was sent off by referee Hooper after being booked for a foul and again for petulantly slamming the ball into the ground after conceding a free kick.
It was no surprise to hear more boos at full-time as United were dumped out of another cup competition at the first attempt.
