João Pedro scored a thrilling winning goal in the 95th minute for Brighton, who continued their perfect start to the season at the expense of Manchester United.
United thought they had won the match when Alejandro Garnacho turned Bruno Fernandes’ low cross into the net just 18 minutes from time. However, this effort was ruled out for offside after a VAR check showed that the ball had brushed against substitute Joshua Zirkzee before crossing the line.
João Pedro managed to clinch the victory, giving Fabian Hürzeler a fantastic start as Brighton’s coach. Pedro was left unmarked to convert a deep cross from Simon Adingra.
Former United forward Danny Welbeck gave the hosts the lead in the first half with his fifth Premier League goal against his old club and later struck the crossbar with a header in the second half, as Brighton sensed an opportunity.
United briefly took control after Amad Diallo equalized in the 60th minute, but after Garnacho’s attempt was disallowed, their best efforts were long-range shots from Scott McTominay and Casemiro, neither of which hit the target.
The winner sparked celebrations at the final whistle, with Hürzeler, who faced much skepticism after being appointed at just 31 years old, visibly elated. Billy Gilmour, who has been linked with a move to Napoli, was named man of the match, drawing more cheers from the home fans who want the Scottish player to stay.
What do you think of Brighton’s performance? How about Manchester United’s? Every time Brighton changes managers, it seems some believe it’s a recipe for decline. Critics were wrong when Graham Potter replaced Chris Hughton, wrong again when Roberto De Zerbi took over after Potter left for Chelsea, and were proven wrong once more when De Zerbi resigned and Hürzeler took over.
Each time, Brighton’s model has proven resilient enough to handle the transition. It’s clearly too early to make a judgment on Hürzeler. But after the resounding win over Everton on opening day, the German coach couldn’t have asked for a better start.
There was an element of luck in this success, given that Zirkzee only got in Garnacho’s way because he couldn’t stop his slide towards the goal after missing Fernandes’ cross. But there was also plenty to admire about Brighton, and with midfielder Rutter and Danish player Matt O’Riley, who is set to complete his £25 million move from Celtic this weekend, still to fully integrate, there is plenty of room for improvement.
Danny Welbeck remains a key figure. The 33-year-old signed a new contract in May, keeping him at Brighton until 2026. He remains a strong threat and still has the speed and fitness to trouble defenses.
It’s clear Welbeck loves playing against his boyhood club, given how often he scores against them. His latest efforts were largely down to Harry Maguire choosing not to risk turning a low cross into his own net, allowing Kaoru Mitoma to collect the loose ball at the far post and send a cutback through a gap in the defenders to give Amad Diallo a hit-and-miss chance on a bad day for United.
By January, Amad Diallo will have been a United player for four seasons. There will surely come a time when a decision has to be made about whether the 22-year-old is good enough for the level United aspire to. This was another one of those days where the evidence was both for and against him.
Signed for £19 million from Italian side Atalanta, Amad’s standout moment as a United player so far was his last-minute extra-time winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals last season. And in Los Angeles this summer, he spoke of his desire to stay at United for life.
With Alejandro Garnacho returning to the club late after Argentina’s Copa America win, Amad was given the chance to make an impact. In the first half, he was the better player but ended up trailing, with the visitors failing to capitalize on their best moments, and Amad was at fault.
The Ivorian had space to finish a tough chance when Diogo Dalot whipped in a cross from the left, but he then missed. While United pressed forward on counter-attacks, what should have been a simple pass to send Marcus Rashford through on Brighton’s goal was delivered behind the Englishman, neutralizing the opportunity.
If that was a negative, the equalizing goal was a positive. The ball was passed by Noussair Mazraoui, who excels at right-back, with Amad bursting towards Brighton’s defense, cutting inside the box, and firing a low shot that seemed destined for the far corner before Jan Paul van Hecke slid across to turn the ball into the net in his attempt to clear it.
Perhaps that moment alone explains why manager Erik ten Hag is willing to let Jadon Sancho leave for Juventus, if the Italian giants can strike a suitable deal. However, this doesn’t fully answer the question about Amad, nor the mature way he pushed Bruno Fernandes to create what United thought was the winner.
The result doesn’t convince observers that Ten Hag is making the right decisions. Follow the live coverage of Brighton vs. Manchester United here.
Premier League: Get ready for Brighton’s hosting of Manchester United and six other matches.
Player of the Match
- Number: 18
- D. Welbeck
- Average Rating: 8.12
Brighton & Hove Albion (Active)
- Number: 18
- D. Welbeck
- Average Rating: 8.12
- Number: 9
- João Pedro
- Average Rating: 8.04
- Number: 23
- J. Steele
- Average Rating: 7.87
- Number: 11
- B. Gilmour
- Average Rating: 7.79
- Number: 6
- J. Milner
- Average Rating: 7.61
- Number: 22
- K. Mitoma
- Average Rating: 7.60
- Number: 17
- W. Menthe
- Average Rating: 7.34
- Number: 29
- J. Van Hecke
- Average Rating: 7.31
- Number: 41
- J. Hinshelwood
- Average Rating: 7.27
- Number: 5
- L. Dunk
- Average Rating: 7.26
- Number: 24
- S. Adingra
- Average Rating: 7.23
- Number: 34
- J. Veltman
- Average Rating: 7.19
- Number: 10
- J. Enciso
- Average Rating: 7.18
- Number: 14
- J. Rutter
- Average Rating: 7.17
- Number: 20
- J. Baleba
- Average Rating: 7.15
- Number: 26
- Y. Ayari
- Average Rating: 6.95
Brighton’s resilience and impressive start to the season under new management seem to promise a lot, especially with the potential for further improvement.