Brighton & Hove Albion claimed a 3-2 victory over Manchester United in the League Cup Round of 32 at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening. The visitors took control early, Shea Lacey opening the scoring in the eighth minute before Mason Mount levelled two minutes later. Brighton then took the lead through Charalampos Kostoulas on the stroke of half-time and extended their advantage in the second half with goals from Pascal Groß and Maxim De Cuyper.
To be fair, the match turned on moments United failed to capitalise on. Mount's response came just 10 minutes in, but Brighton's momentum never quite stalled. Kostoulas found space to score before the break, and by then United looked increasingly uncomfortable. Groß made it 2-1 in the 65th minute, and De Cuyper completed the turnaround with a sixth-minute strike after that.
United threw bodies forward in the second half with five substitutions between the 66th and 82nd minutes. Šeško, Andrey Santos, and Matt O'Riley were among those introduced, while Rashford came on in the 80th minute. Brighton kept their composure, bringing on Kostoulas himself for fresh legs in the 82nd minute.
The statistics tell a familiar story. Both sides held 50% possession, but Brighton created more from their chances. They registered 2.15 expected goals against United's 1.04, and five big chances created compared to just one. United managed four shots on target with 33% accuracy, while Brighton hit the target five times from eight attempts.
And here's the thing — United had more attacks overall at 102 to Brighton's 131, but the visitors were more clinical. Brighton's 15 key passes and 1.57 expected assists suggest they moved the ball with purpose. United's 27 aerial duels won matched their opponents, but they couldn't convert that dominance into goals.
The result ends Brighton's recent winning run and sends them through to the next round. United's defeat comes after a mixed week — a 0-1 loss to Manchester City on Saturday followed by a 4-0 triumph over Sabah. Brighton arrive here having beaten Coventry 5-0 on their last outing, and this victory extends their momentum.
