David Hytner was at the Amex tonight. Here’s his verdict. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
An uncharacteristically angry Erik ten Hag speaks to Sky. “In the first minute we created a great chance but didn’t score … we have to be more clinical with our chances … we gave away a big chance and in the end we gave away a goal … we were also a little bit unlucky that it was never a free kick where the corner is coming from … you can’t bounce back any more … but that is what we have to do on Sunday [at West Ham] … we had clear chances, Antony, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Casemiro, all great opportunities and one has to be in … I don’t have concerns … if we don’t lose focus in the dying seconds of the game we take a point … if you can’t win, because you don’t finish your chances, then don’t lose … my anger is about the free kick [before the corner] … there were so many bad tackles that were not whistled … it was a fair block, but that was a whistle … we had a talk [with the officials] but it is not about them, we have to be more clinical … there were some really bad fouls, on Rashford, on Antony, and I don’t agree with the reactions of my players but it is difficult to stay in control because it was so clear … we have everything in our hands and we have to bounce back … we have to take the lessons from tonight and we move on.”
Luke Shaw talks to Sky … with a slightly strange mix of contrition and belligerence. “It hurts a lot … the last minute, the last action … I got a little nudge, but of course the hand shouldn’t be there … I own up to it and take it on the chin … it cost us the game and it’s tough … I can’t even explain why my hand is up there … even before the corner, the free kick that was given away was never a foul … I’m not looking for excuses for what I have done, but there’s no way that should have been given a foul that led to the corner … so maybe that corner shouldn’t have happened … but I can’t change that … I’m not accusing the ref of anything … for me it wasn’t a foul before, but hands up, it was a silly mistake that cost us a point at the end … the problem is we don’t score … we had three or four big chances that we should be scoring … it’s happened a lot of times this season … but then again look at the other side, it comes down to my mistake at the end … but I think the chances we have, we have to be scoring these goals … the game’s completely different if we score with the chances we make … we are not clinical enough … I don’t know what else to say … it’s disappointing that I lost us a point in the end but if you look from the first half, we could have been 3-0 up … it changes nothing … [top four] is still in our hands … now you could say there is a real chase … but we still have one game in hand … it’s in our hands.”
Roberto De Zerbi speaks to Sky. “I am really happy … really delighted for the performance and the result … I think there’s a god of football, because we deserved to win the semi-final and lost in penalties, and today we won in a penalty for us … both games we played better than United … the last result was unfair … we played a fantastic game … we dominated against an incredible team … but my players deserved to win … we have to play six very tough games … on Monday we play a very tough game against Everton and we have to win … if we don’t win against Everton we lose these [i.e. tonight’s] three points.”
Mac Allister has been linked with a move away from Brighton, so perhaps it’s significant when he also tells Sky that “I have been here three and a half years already … I know what this club gave to me … I am really grateful … I am really happy to be here … it is a fantastic team, it is like a family … I really enjoy playing here.”
The match-winner Alexis Mac Allister talks to Sky. “It was similar to Wembley … we did everything to win but couldn’t score our chances … but in the end we got the penalty and it was a nice win … I like to have the opportunity to score … of course I was a little bit nervous as everyone is going to talk about it … it’s easy to play in this team, the way we play is very nice and my team-mates are fantastic … it’s down to them as well, I’m really pleased to play alongside them and they help me to become a better player … after the World Cup it was a little bit difficult to come back and play straight away, as we didn’t have the time to celebrate properly … but it is what it is, we are football players, we have to do our best every time … so it’s very nice to win a World Cup at such a young age and I’m really happy.”
He’s then shown footage of his penalty. “That’s a nice penalty! That’s a nice one!”
Brighton keeper Jason Steele speaks to Sky. “That was special … it was a big night for us … we played really well … two good teams went toe to toe … a last-minute winner, you can’t beat that … it wasn’t about revenge or anything like that … did we have some extra motivation? Yeah probably, but I don’t think it spilled over … we deserved to win … we defended really well and got a clean sheet which is brilliant … the crowd were fantastic … they stuck with us and egged us on all the way … it’s a big three points but we’ve got another massive game in three or four days time so we need to make sure we’re ready for that as well.”
The xG, for what it’s worth: Brighton 2.29, United 1.38.
“I don’t think Utd would have scored if they played for another 90 minutes,” begins Samuel Campbell, “but that penalty took over four minutes to get sorted yet the referee doesn’t add on any more injury time? Seems a bit strange.” I could be very wrong, but I’m pretty sure Andre Marriner blew up for full time after United finally cleared the corner. Three elongated peeps. The clock was certainly over the allotted additional five minutes. If that is indeed the case, that’ll be why no additional time was tacked on after Mac Allister converted the penalty … and given what happened at the end of this fixture three years ago, there’s a weird narrative purity to it.
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Brighton celebrate wildly, the hero Alexis Mac Allister in the middle of it all! Their European dream remains very much on. United look as gutted as you’d imagine, Luke Shaw in particular. This shouldn’t cost them their Champions League dreams, though, with enough points already in the bag, so the pain of one point dropped tonight should subside quickly enough. The teams were fairly equal in the first half, but Brighton were much the better side in the second, and even though the winning goal came so late, the result was very much deserved. Not sure what Shaw was thinking, but it happens, and if nothing else his intervention spares everyone some manufactured post-match outrage over the non-dismissals of Casemiro (maybe) and Antony (almost certainly). Everton at home next for Brighton, West Ham away for United.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Newcastle | 33 | 34 | 65 |
| 4 | Man Utd | 33 | 9 | 63 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 34 | 24 | 59 |
| 6 | Brighton | 32 | 22 | 55 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 34 | 6 | 54 |
FULL TIME: Brighton and Hove Albion 1-0 Manchester United
No time to restart. Late, late, late, late, late drama … but Brighton deserve the win on balance. Revenge for their Wembley heartache!
GOAL! Brighton and Hove Albion 1-0 Manchester United (Mac Allister 90+9 pen)
Mac Allister sends a laser-like penalty into the top left, sending De Gea the wrong way, and has surely won the game for Brighton!
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90 min +8: A big pow-wow between all the players on the penalty spot. Mac Allister has the ball under his arm, but he’ll have to wait for the box to be cleared.
Penalty for Brighton!
90 min +7: Shaw’s arm was up and a-flapping at the initial delivery of the corner. It’s a no-brainer for the referee, who goes to the monitor then points to the spot. The ref was about to blow the whistle for full time! Shades of a couple of seasons ago, but the boot’s now on the other foot!
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90 min +5: The corner’s pulled back to Mitoma, who shoots through a crowded box. A block. The ball breaks to Caicedo on the left. A low cross-cum-shot. De Gea blocks. United clear … but there’s going to be a VAR check for a penalty kick!
90 min +4: Enciso attempts to spin Shaw, who makes sure the Brighton man isn’t getting past. A shoulder in the mush, though that reads as more aggressive than it was. He goes into the book for dissent, and the resulting free kick leads to a Brighton corner on the right. The last chance of the game?
90 min +3: Estupinan strides down the inside left and rasps ambitiously from distance. His shot is easily claimed by De Gea at his near post.
90 min +1: The first of five additional minutes sees Webster power a header over from the resulting corner.
90 min: … and so having said that, Brighton nearly break the deadlock at the death! March jinks in from the right. He makes space to shoot but delays, and the chance is gone. The ball breaks back to Mac Allister, who drives low through a crowded box. His shot, heading for the bottom left, is tipped around the post by De Gea. Fine save!
89 min: “I should’ve known after seven minutes that this would end 0-0,” quips Simon McMahon, flinging the 7 min entry back in my face. Yes, sorry about that. “At least Brighton will be relieved that it can’t go to penalties.”
87 min: Caicedo is booked for some earlier shenanigans with Fernandes. This match has been tasty. It’s the taste!
86 min: March embarks on a Homeric dribble down the right, cutting infield, all the way to the left-hand edge of the D, before creaming a rising shot towards the top right. Just wide, though De Gea had it covered. It would have been some goal.
85 min: Shaw, the last man, takes a chance with a Cruyff Turn on the halfway line. Undav was closing him down fast. But he executes it perfectly.
84 min: March overhits the corner and United clear. The visitors then replace Martial with Weghorst.
83 min: United half-clear the corner but the ball comes back to them via Mitoma, who enters the box from the left and sees a low shot deflected wide for another corner, this time from the left. March to take.
82 min: March nearly dances his way clear down the middle, only to be crowded out. But the ball breaks right to Undav, who wins a corner with a deflected shot. “This match is getting so weirdly heated that it might just boil over and, given Brighton’s form in this regard, spark a fierce rivalry that no one outside the clubs’ fandoms understand,” writess Kári Tulinius. “I suppose it’ll be known as the M6/M40 Derby. Better names are available, I’m sure.”
80 min: Fernandes wedges a clever quick free kick down the middle. Rashford cuts in from the left and tries to round Steele, who won’t be beaten. The flag goes up for offside anyway, but that’s fine football all round. United are beginning to ask a few questions again.
78 min: From the resulting free kick, Rashford shoots straight at Steele.
77 min: Colwill is immediately booked for clipping the in-flight Sabitzer’s heel. Meanwhile here’s Trevor Bond: “Re Anthony’s little ‘moment’ just now. Probably on the face of it an instance of that rarely spotted (or rarely appreciated) ‘sensible refereeing’ to give a card each to him and Dunk and try to calm things down. But I can’t help thinking with a pickier ref that’s arguably two if not three yellows at once - one for the initial foul, one for the highly optimistic attempted chest barge on Dunk, and another for the dissent that carried on through all of that, presumably directed at the assistant referee. File under ‘a lucky boy’ for me, although he probably deserves a bit of a let off for the pure chutzpah of going up against Dunk, who for his part looked more amused than anything.”
76 min: United respond by replacing Antony and Fred with Sancho and Sabitzer.
75 min: A double change for Brighton: Undav and Colwill come on for Gilmour and Welbeck.
74 min: A United corner leads to Casemiro fizzing a rising shot inches over the bar from distance. Up the other end, Enciso drags a low shot wide left. It’s in the balance here all right.
72 min: That’s not the first time the red mist has descended on Antony this season. He took a similar hot-headed swipe at Acuna of Sevilla in the Europa League and was equally fortunate not to be sent packing.
70 min: Antony expects to be awarded a free kick when he stumbles in from the right between Mac Allister and Estupinan. He doesn’t get it, so gets up and lunges at Mac Allister. A proper swipe at the legs. It kicks off. Just a yellow for Antony, and one for Dunk too, who steamed in to have his say. Antony is pretty lucky to still be on the pitch.
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68 min: Fernandes curls powerfully towards the top right. His effort is parried away by Steele. Rashford goes down while chasing the loose ball but play is waved on.
67 min: Mitoma races into the United box from the left and goes over in the environs of Wan-Bissaka. Andre Marriner is nearby and isn’t interested in giving a penalty kick. Brighton’s fans are probably more livid about that than their players, and Mitoma eventually gets back to his feet.
66 min: Mac Allister turns Casemiro and is clipped from behind for his trouble. The referee waves play on, and Welbeck has a dig that’s deflected out for a corner. Casemiro, already on a booking, escapes further censure. Brighton aren’t happy, and the resulting corner comes to nought.
64 min: Gilmour tugs Fred’s shirt and is pretty darn lucky not to go into the book. Fernandes isn’t happy about it, and gets in the referee’s ear. The ref isn’t for turning.
63 min: Buonanotte can’t continue and is replaced by March, who will be after some redemption against United given what happened at Wembley.
62 min: Dalot gets the ball stuck between his feet and is nearly robbed on the edge of the box by Buonanotte. But he sorts himself out just in time to clear. He accidentally catches Buonanotte in the eye with a finger and play pauses as the young Argentinian receives treatment.
60 min: Dalot is booked for a late clank on Buonanotte.
58 min: Welbeck prods the ball away from Fernandes in the centre circle and sends Mitoma away down the left. He’s got Buonanotte free in the middle, but Wan-Bissaka blocks the route of the pass, forcing Mitoma to shoot from a tight angle. Mitoma prods with uncertainty towards the bottom right and De Gea claims. Brighton soon come again, and this time Mitoma cuts back for Welbeck, who wafts harmlessly over the bar. Brighton are certainly stepping it up, though they’re not clicking in the final third.
57 min: Caicedo romps in from the right. He shoots. That shot is blocked. Brighton are beginning to step it up, and the home crowd respond accordingly.
56 min: That was some run by Enciso, by the way. He had Casemiro clambering over his back, and Antony hung out a leg in the penalty box. Enciso could have opted to go over more than once, so hats off to him for taking the high road.
55 min: Mitoma races in from the left. He’s got options infield but slashes wastefully wide instead. A poor decision with three team-mates waiting for the low cross.
54 min: Fernandes gets up and gives Webster a mouthful. There’s a full and frank exchange of views. The crowd get involved too. Then Wan-Bissaka shoves Webster to the floor. This is hotting up nicely.
52 min: Enciso embarks on a determined dribble down the inside-left channel. He refuses to ship possession and eventually works space for a shot. Wan-Bissaka blocks, and Fernandes tries to launch a counter. Webster comes sliding in and earns himself a yellow card.
50 min: Estupinan curls a cross in from the left. Shaw heads clear with blue shirts lurking. This second half hasn’t quite taken off yet.
49 min: Mac Allister aims from 30 yards. The ball clanks into his own man Buonanotte and squirts through to De Gea.
47 min: Buonanotte cuts in from the right and aims for the top left. He just about keeps his shot inside the stadium. Welbeck shoots him another knowing glance.
46 min: Rashford turns on the jets and flies down the left. He miscontrols and the ball flies out for a goal kick … so with Dunk’s arm nearby, he brushes it and falls over, claiming a penalty. The referee’s not interested and Rashford’s fortunate not to go into the book for his brazen sauce.
Brighton get the second half under way. Neither manager has made a change.
Half-time entertainment. It, as Erik ten Hag said before the game, is the taste.
HALF TIME: Brighton and Hove Albion 0-0 Manchester United
Nope. An entertaining half comes to a close without a goal. Both teams have had their chances, though, and the second half promises much.
45 min +4: Mac Allister’s quick free kick in midfield catches United sleeping and Enciso wins a corner down the right. Brighton load the box but Buonanotte overcooks the delivery. But the hosts come back at the visitors and Buonanotte wins another corner down the same flank. Can Brighton strike just before the break?
45 min +2: Enciso jinks his way down the inside-left channel, leaving Casemiro of all people for dead with some sweet skill, before suffering a rush of blood and hoicking a wild effort high into the stand.
45 min +1: The first of four extra minutes goes by without incident.
45 min: The resulting free kick finds Buonanotte, just to the right of the United box. Buonanotte aims an ambitious curler across De Gea and towards the top left. It’s a decent effort, and had it been on target, the keeper may not have got there. But Welbeck, in the middle, fancied a simpler cross, and makes his annoyance known in glance format.
44 min: Rashford, racing down the right, should release Fernandes down the middle but his pass is intercepted by Estupinan. Brighton counter, and Mac Allister is brought down by Casemiro, who becomes the first player to see yellow this evening.
43 min: Corner for United out on the right. Fernandes takes. He fails to beat the first man Welbeck. Rashford is limping a little after that affair with Caicedo.
42 min: Caicedo clatters Rashford from behind, causing Ten Hag to lose the place on the touchline. A slight edge developing here.
40 min: A stramash in the midfield involving Shaw, Enciso and Welbeck. Enciso ends up on the floor, face down, with Shaw hovering over him giving him the what-for. All good harmless fun.
39 min: Fred slips a pass down the inside-left channel for Martial, who strides into the box and hammers a low drive towards the bottom left. Steele stands his ground and kicks clear.
38 min: Enciso plays a ball down the inside right for Welbeck, who spins Shaw and is cleaned out for his trouble. But advantage is played, as Enciso had kept going and tears into space down the channel. He reaches the box and whistles a low diagonal shot wide left of goal. De Gea had it covered.
36 min: Dalot tries to find Fred down the inside-left channel but Steele comes out to welt clear.
34 min: Gilmour pokes the ball away from Fred, coming from behind in the Brighton box. Fred goes over and wants a spot kick, but United aren’t getting one. VAR confirms. Brighton go up the other end, where Mac Allister curls powerfully towards the top right from 25 yards. Had it been on target, it was in, because De Gea was rooted to the spot. But it sails wide.
32 min: The free kick is a waste of everyone’s time.
31 min: Buonanotte works his way down the right and attempts a pass down the inside-right channel for Caicedo. The ball hits Dalot on his arm, but it’s not a penalty. Fernandes gives Brighton a chance to keep the pressure on by then fouling Caicedo, just outside the box on the right flank.
29 min: Rashford pulls a low corner towards Fred, who dummies, leaving Antony to aim for the bottom right. Steele paws the shot around the post in a slightly uncertain fashion. Nothing comes of the second corner in the sequence. United are beginning to clamber on top here.
28 min: Fernandes sends Rashford off on a dribble down the left channel. Rashford drops a shoulder to leave Caicedo behind, then pokes towards the bottom left, hoping to surprise Steele at his near post. Steele does very well to stick out a leg and turn the ball around for a corner.
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26 min: Antony whips in from the right. Martial waits on the edge of the six-yard box, preparing to head home, only for Dunk to intervene with a diving headed clearance. Out for a corner, from which Casemiro heads over, six yards out. A slight surprise, in that you’d expect Casemiro to plant a header home more often than not.
25 min: Fernandes, quarterbacking from deep, nearly releases Rashford down the middle. His long pass drops over the striker’s shoulder, but can’t be brought under control. Steele comes to the edge of his box to claim.
23 min: Caicedo probes down the right but United hold their shape. Brighton getting back into their groove, though. “Pascal Gross and his ‘small muscular injury’ lends itself to a really funny joke about Brighton’s windswept, pebbly beach and a groyne strain, but I’m not quite clever enough to make it land properly,” sighs Bill Preston. And yet it’ll do for us! An erosion of editorial standards, if you will.
21 min: The corner’s cleared, but United come again, Martial making good down the left and cutting back for Antony, who wafts a shot into the side netting. Since pointing out that Brighton were enjoying most of the possession, it’s been all United. Pulitzer, please!
19 min: There was contact, but not enough for VAR to overturn Andre Marriner’s decision. United nearly tip salt into the wound by countering at speed, Rashford bursting down the left, entering the box, and shooting from the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. The ball’s deflected out for a corner.
18 min: Brighton are enjoying the bulk of the possession. A long pass down the left finds Mitoma, who enters the box, clips Wan-Bissaka’s knee, and falls over. He wants a penalty but he’s not getting one.
16 min: Mitoma zig-zags his way into the United box from the left and wins a corner. Dunk rises highest to meet that corner, but sends a weak header straight at De Gea. “The more I think about it, The Startled Coupon (4 min) could be a slightly milder option for those Glasgow denizens who don’t fancy an evening in The Saracen Head,” writes Scott Blair.
15 min: Mac Allister dances his way past a couple of tackles in the midfield and looks to set Welbeck away down the middle. Brighton and their fans are incensed when the referee’s whistle goes for a United shirt tug, playing no advantage. United were a bit light at the back when play stopped.
13 min: Mitoma dribbles into the United box from the left. He drops a shoulder to get away from Wan-Bissaka and Lindelof, but there’s not much time to shoot, and his cute poke towards the bottom right bobbles wide of the post. Some run, though.
12 min: Gilmour nicks the ball off Casemiro, 30 yards out. The United midfielder owes his defence one, as they swarm the Brighton man before he can find Welbeck or Enciso.
10 min: Rashford steals the ball in midfield and sashays upfield. He nutmegs Dunk then lays off to Antony on his right. Antony pulls back for Fernandes, who launches a wild shot high into the stand behind. An unfortunate end to an elegant move.
8 min: It’s decided that De Gea is fine to continue. He doesn’t look totally happy, red faced and shaking his head, but he manages to blooter a long clearance upfield when the game restarts.
7 min: De Gea really felt that, and he’s still getting checked over. Meanwhile somewhere in the multiverse, it’s already 2-2. Back on planet earth, this game surely can’t end goalless. It just can’t.
5 min: A bad miss, that, but a brave save by De Gea, who is being checked for concussion. The physios quite rightly taking their time.
4 min: A huge chance for Brighton, as Lindelof gives Wan-Bissaka a hospital pass, allowing Mitoma to tear clear down the inside-left channel. He enters the box and should square to Buonanotte, setting up a tap-in, but instead batters a poor shot straight into De Gea’s startled coupon!
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3 min: Down the other end, Dalot fizzes a backpass towards De Gea and the home crowd warble with amusement as the keeper hacks clear just in time, with Buonanotte lurking.
2 min: Now it’s Fernandes’ turn to play a straight pass down the centre of the park. Antony gets clear and sends a shot inches wide of the right-hand post. United clearly have a plan here … and already it’s nearly paid off twice.
1 min: Rashford plays a simple long ball down the middle and nearly releases Martial. Steele has to come right to the edge of his box to claim.
United get the ball rolling. Incidentally, Caicedo was wearing a bodycam during the warm-up, for some piping-hot player POV action. We shouldn’t encourage Sky by banging on about it … so we won’t.
The teams are out! Brighton in their blue and white stripes, United in red with black shorts. A fine atmosphere at the Amex, as Brighton look to win three on the bounce against United in the league for the first time in history. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes … meanwhile let Peter Oh whet your appetite further: “With United’s Brazilian trident of Antony, Casemiro and Fred squaring up against Brighton’s contingent from the rest of South America - Caicedo and Estupinan from Ecuador, Paraguay’s Enciso, and Argentinians Buonanotte and Mac Allister - this promises to be almost as spicy as a Conmebol World Cup qualifier or Copa America grudge match!”
Roberto De Zerbi speaks to Sky Sports. “Pascal Gross has a small muscular problem but I hope he can play the next game on Monday … we are still disappointed [about the FA Cup semi-final] but the football goes on … we have to think only about this game … only our target in the Premier League … we want to play well and we want to win … when we play against this level of team, it is still very tough to win … but we are a good team and we are playing well … we want to achieve our target and today we play against Manchester United, but in our head, nothing changes.”
A reminder where both teams start the match. A win for United tonight would see them leapfrog Newcastle United into third, and pull away from fifth-placed Liverpool, who have surely timed their top-four run far too late. Brighton also have an outside shout of a top-four finish, though finishing in the Europa League places is a much more realistic goal; should they grab all three points this evening, they’ll rise to sixth with two games in hand on Liverpool.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Man City | 33 | 57 | 79 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 34 | 42 | 78 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 33 | 34 | 65 |
| 4 | Man Utd | 32 | 10 | 63 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 34 | 24 | 59 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 34 | 6 | 54 |
| 7 | Aston Villa | 34 | 4 | 54 |
| 8 | Brighton | 31 | 21 | 52 |
| 9 | Brentford | 34 | 8 | 50 |
| 10 | Fulham | 34 | -1 | 45 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 34 | -10 | 40 |
| 12 | Chelsea | 33 | -7 | 39 |
| 13 | AFC Bournemouth | 34 | -28 | 39 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton | 34 | -21 | 37 |
| 15 | West Ham | 34 | -13 | 34 |
| 16 | Leicester | 34 | -13 | 30 |
| 17 | Leeds | 34 | -24 | 30 |
| 18 | Nottm Forest | 34 | -32 | 30 |
| 19 | Everton | 34 | -25 | 29 |
| 20 | Southampton | 34 | -32 | 24 |
Erik ten Hag speaks to BT Sport (after presenting pundit Paul Ince with a bottle of red): “We have a tough game … we are looking forward to the challenge … we like tests … we like good teams like Brighton … we created many chances [in the FA Cup semi] … it was a really good game … it was up and down, and I expect today to be the same … every game is important and we have to win … every game we want to do better … Villa were a really good opponent … we played a good game … but it’s all gone, and today we have to prove it again … we have to do better [away from home] and today we have a chance … I think it will come … you want to be in the top four, we are now in the top four, so you can also say that we have done something good … we have six games to go and a cup final … we want to keep everyone on board.”
He’s then quizzed about the plonk he gave away. “It is not about expensive, it is about the taste.” An immutable law regarding all beverages that has echoed down the ages.
Brighton made five changes ahead of the 6-0 win over Wolves; they make four today. Alexis Mac Allister, Moises Caicedo, Kaoru Mitoma and Facundo Buonanotte replace Deniz Undav and Solly March, who drop to the bench, and Joel Veltman and Pascal Gross, who miss out altogether.
Manchester United also make four changes tonight, following their 1-0 win over Aston Villa. Antony, Fred, Anthony Martial and Aaron Wan-Bissaka replace Jadon Sancho, Christian Eriksen, Marcel Sabitzer and Tyrell Malacia, all of whom drop to the bench.
The teams
Brighton and Hove Albion: Steele, Estupinan, Dunk, Webster, Buonanotte, Caicedo, Gilmour, Enciso, Mitoma, Mac Allister, Welbeck.
Subs: Sanchez, Colwill, Van Hecke, Offiah, March, Undav, Moran, Ayari, Peupion.
Manchester United: De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Shaw, Dalot, Fred, Casemiro, Fernandes, Antony, Martial, Rashford.
Subs: Butland, Maguire, Malacia, Williams, Eriksen, Pellistri, Sabitzer, Sancho, Weghorst.
Referee: Andre Marriner
Let's go! 😁 Here's your team to face @ManUtd. 📝https://t.co/S3j1TIeLz3 // #BHAFC 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/wAVHm4YKfC
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) May 4, 2023
Up the Reds! ✊🔴#MUFC || #BHAMUN
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 4, 2023
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Preamble
This fixture is rarely boring. Since Brighton returned to the top flight in 2017, it’s finished 1-0, 3-2, 0-3, 2-3 (with a winner scored after the final whistle had been blown) and 4-0. If that’s not intriguingly unpredictable enough, let’s factor in some current-season narrative: Brighton’s 2-1 win at Old Trafford on the opening day of the season, Manchester United’s penalty shoot-out victory in the FA Cup semi-final a mere 11 days ago, Brighton’s bid for European football, and United’s desire to lock down their Champions League place ASAP. All told, everything’s set up for a real humdinger down on the south coast. Kick off at the Amex is 8pm BST. It’s on!
