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Half-time entertainment. This won’t improve the mood of you Brighton fans.
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HALF TIME: Manchester United 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion
During the closing moments of the half, Sesko could have made it 3-0, and Rutter could have made it 2-1. As it stands, here we are. The small margins. United go off to a warm ovation. Their revival continues apace.
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Updated at 13.22 EDT
45 min +1: De Cuyper has a shy at goal from the left of the United D. He miskicks, but his effort finds Rutter onm the right-hand edge of the six-yard box. Totally free! He totally misses the ball! A huge chance.
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45 min: There will be one minute of additional time.
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44 min: Fernandes spins around Van Decke and down the inside left with indecent ease, rolling infield for Mbeumo, who releases Sesko into the box down the left channel. A lovely zig-zagging move, but Sesko blazes over. The move deserved a third goal, the finish most certainly did not.
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43 min: Wieffer has the opportunity to release Kadioglu into space down the right, but overcooks the pass. Out for a goal kick. United were light at the back there. Brighton have found themselves in a couple of good positions, but their work in the final third has been sorely lacking.
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42 min: Diallo skelps a clearance upfield. Mbeumo makes something out of nothing with a first touch and spin around Dunk, racing into space down the middle. Baleba brings him down cynically and earns his third booking of the season.
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40 min: Shaw gets away with an overly cute clearance that’s blocked by Kadioglu, the ball squirting out for a goal kick just before the Brighton man can claim it and advance towards the box.
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38 min: Apparently the Premier League have awarded United’s second goal to Casemiro. The shot was clearly going wide right, but that’s how they see it.
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37 min: Ayari tries to make up for his unfortunate intervention by shooting from the right-hand edge of the United D. There’s another deflection, but only for a corner, which leads to nothing.
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36 min: Leading up to that goal, Van Hecke put his team-mates into all sorts of trouble with a misplaced pass out from the back. Not for the first time this evening, Brighton have made a meal of playing out of defence.
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GOAL! Manchester United 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion (Ayari og 34)
Casemiro shoots from 25 yards, towards the right-hand side of the net. The ball pings off Ayari, and bounces apologetically into the bottom left, Verbruggen wrong-footed and now rooted. Casemiro celebrates what he thinks is his second goal of the campaign, but his shot was off-target and will go down as an own goal.
Casemiro’s shot deflects off Yasin Ayari and into the net! Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty ImagesCasemiro claims it! Photograph: Martin Rickett/PAShare
Updated at 13.13 EDT
33 min: Diallo gets the better of De Cuyper down the right and enters the box. He should keep going but can’t decide whether to shoot or look for a team-mate in the middle, and the chance is gone.
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32 min: United re-establish some control after a sloppy couple of minutes.
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30 min: Minteh zips away from a flailing Yoro down the inside-left channel. He dribbles into the box, sits Shaw down, and has time to shoot … but decides to throw one shape too many, and is eventually crowded out. Cunha, sliding in from behind, wisely aborts his mission just before making contact that would surely lead to a penalty.
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28 min: De Cuyper and Kadioglu combine to win Brighton another corner down the right. The set piece is power-cleared by the head of Casemiro.
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27 min: … and that early Welbeck-Mintah quick-break seems an awfully long time ago now. “I can’t work out what’s more criminal,” begins Andy Bradshaw, “Mintah missing that chance or being offside when he was completely in the clear and could see exactly where the pass was going to come from.”
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26 min: That’s the reward for an intense period of United pressure. United have responded well to Brighton responding well to United starting well. Old Trafford bouncing!
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GOAL! Manchester United 1-0 Brighton & Hove Albion (Cunha 24)
United keep Brighton pressed back. Sesko, Ferdandes and Casemiro combine to tee up Cunha by the left-hand edge of the six-yard box. Cunha opens his body and whips a lovely low curler across Verbruggen and into the bottom right!
Matheus Cunha strikes to give the hosts the lead! Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty ImagesThat’s his first for the Red Devils! Photograph: Martin Rickett/PAShare
Updated at 13.01 EDT
22 min: Van Hecke plays a hospital pass across the face of his own box, intended for Dunk. Mbeumo gets in first, but instead of heading into the box, flops over. He wants a penalty, but for a start he wasn’t in the penalty area. He also went over very easily. Old Trafford not happy. But never mind, because …
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21 min: … Lammens claim with confidence. It’s been a strong start to the young goalkeeper’s Manchester United career.
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20 min: Rutter swivels away from a pincer movement by Shaw and Dalot, making ground down the right. He enters the box. De Ligt is forced to come across and hack out for a corner, which sees …
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18 min: Cunha, dropping deep, whips a vicious dipping cross in from the left. It whistles through a crowded box and nearly nestles in the bottom right, but sails just wide. Verbruggen had it covered, to be fair.
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16 min: Diallo dribbles into the Brighton box from the right. De Cuyper hangs out a leg, attempting to clear with a back-heel. (!) The United man goes over. The crowd scream for a penalty, but they’re not getting one, because the Brighton player got a touch on the ball before the man. VAR agrees. United come again, Cunha shooting towards the bottom right from long range. Verbruggen is up to the task and parries. That’s all got United going after a sluggish few minutes for the home side.
Diallo wants a penalty, but doesn’t get one! Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 12.55 EDT
15 min: Rutter romps down the left before cutting back for Welbeck, who flips a first-time shot towards the top left. He doesn’t quite catch it. Lammens claims. Fernandes, tracking back, did just enough to put Welbeck off.
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14 min: Yoro sprays a simple pass intended for Diallo out of play on the right. After a couple of promising early sorties, United have struggled to find their rhythm.
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12 min: Lammens comes to the edge of his box, claiming another speculative long pass down the left. Brighton have targeted the flanks. They’re on top right now.
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11 min: De Cuyper releases Minteh into space down the left, and with options in the middle. United are extremely fortunate that Minteh air-scuffs his attempted cross.
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10 min: De Cuyper’s free kick is half-cleared by De Ligt. Kadioglu tries to return the ball with feeling, but his shot from the edge of the box is weak and dribbles well wide left. But this is a confident start by Brighton. Confident enough to have limited the volume within Old Trafford significantly.
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9 min: Another simple flick down the right puts United in all sorts of bother. Ayari gets ahead of Yoro, whose light shove from behind is enough encouragement for the Brighton player to fall. A free kick just to the right of the United box. Everyone piles into the mixer.
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7 min: Welbeck spins De Ligt with outrageous ease down the Brighton right. He storms off down the wing and slips a pass infield for Minteh, who should slot from 12 yards, but flicks harmlessly wide left. Turns out he was offside anyway, but what a miss.
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6 min: United are enjoying the lion’s share during these opening exchanges. Brighton seem happy enough to sit back and see what’s what, though.
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4 min: Mbeumo gets involved again, slipping a pass down the inside-right channel for Cunha, who slices an effort from a tight angle into the side netting. The move began when Dunk played out from the back to Baleba, who had his back turned on play. Fernandes and Casemiro swarmed to get things going for the hosts. Careless by Baleba.
Cunha hoinks an early chance wide. Photograph: Conor Molloy/ProSports/ShutterstockShare
Updated at 12.38 EDT
2 min: Both teams spend a little time getting to know the ball. Meanwhile here’s a pre-match prediction from Bob Bummer Kári Tulinius: “This game fills me with trepidation. When Brighton play to their full potential, their football is beautiful, but when United are at their best, they’re horrible to play against. I fear that Amorim will find a way to turn this match into beige sludge.”
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35 secs: Mbeumo loops a cross in from the right. Fernandes wafts a header wide right. A bit more pace on either and United were off to a flyer.
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Everyone takes a knee to send out the message that there’s No Room For Racism … then the hosts kick off. Brighton are kicking towards the Stretford End in this first half.
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The teams are out! Manchester United in red, Brighton in blue and white stripes. This Is The One, as some local Byrds derivatives would have it. We’ll be off in a minute. (Incidentally, on the pitch a few minutes earlier, Gary Neville was handed a trinket by his boyhood hero Bryan Robson in honour of his becoming the 25th inductee of the Premier League Hall of Fame.)
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Fabian Hürzeler (32) talks to Sky about his striker Danny Welbeck (35 next month). “We go in every game with a lot of self-belief … confidence … individual quality … team quality … that’s the approach today … we believe to win it … the past speaks for us but it is a new game … a new challenge … start from point zero … do the basic things right and we have a chance to win it … courage … try to control the opponent in possession … defence … intensity against the ball … [Welbeck] is getting better and better … like a really good wine, the older he gets, the better he gets … the work he does in the shadow … a great connector … brings the different cultures together … the different ages together … so crucial … so, so impressive.”
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Amorim: Maguire hopefully back next week
Ruben Amorim speaks to Sky Sports. “At this kind of club it doesn’t matter the last game, it’s the next one … today we have a different game … still with the responsibility of winning, of performing … we had some issues at Anfield … we know that … we don’t try to hide all of the things with a win … we worked during the week … we want to perform better this week … different game, different characteristics … we should use the squad … nowadays you don’t know the best XI … it depends on the opponent, the moment … I hope to have Harry [Maguire] next week … it’s a simple thing but I don’t like to take risks … everyone is important … [Matheus Cunha] is a maverick … he needs to improve the way he defends.”
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Updated at 12.21 EDT
The 3pm kick-offs have finished. What a day it’s been for our friends in the north, as Newcastle beat Fulham 2-1 at St James’ Park, while Sunderland shock Chelsea by the same scoreline at Stamford Bridge to rise to second place. Billy Munday has the details in Clockwatch. None of that has any bearing on Manchester United or Brighton, who remain where they were this morning. Both teams can move into fourth for a couple of hours at least with a win at Old Trafford tonight. Sunderland in second, though!
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Pre-match patter. Ruben Amorim doesn’t much care for the opinions of Arne Slot …
… but Danny Welbeck is highly concerned with the thought processes of Thomas Tuchel. Jamie Jackson and John Brewin take turns to investigate.
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Manchester United make two changes in the wake of their 2-1 win at Anfield last weekend. Benjamin Šeško comes in for Mason Mount, who drops to the bench, while last week’s win-securing hero Harry Maguire doesn’t feature at all, Leny Yoro taking his place in defence. Maguire picked up an injury during training this week. Tyrell Malacia is named in a Premier League squad for the first time this season.
Brighton & Hove Albion make one change after their 2-1 home win over Newcastle. It’s ostensibly a defensive one, swapping in Maxim De Cuyper for Diego Gómez, who drops to the bench. Danny Welbeck, a member of the last Manchester United squad to win the Premier League, in 2012-13, returns to Old Trafford on a hot streak of four goals in three games, one more than he’d managed in his previous 15.
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Updated at 11.44 EDT
The teams
Manchester United: Lammens, Yoro, de Ligt, Shaw, Diallo, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dalot, Mbeumo, Cunha, Sesko.
Subs: Bayindir, Mazraoui, Mount, Zirkzee, Malacia, Dorgu, Ugarte, Heaven, Mainoo.
Brighton & Hove Albion: Verbruggen, Wieffer, van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu, Baleba, Ayari, Minteh, Rutter, De Cuyper, Welbeck.
Subs: Steele, Tzimas, Watson, Kostoulas, Milner, Boscagli, Gomez, Coppola, Oriola.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire).
VAR: Michael Oliver (Northumberland).
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Updated at 11.32 EDT
Preamble
Manchester United, having just beaten Sunderland and Liverpool, look to make it three Premier League wins on the bounce this evening. The wind’s behind them under Ruben Amorim for the very first time! Only problem is, their visitors tonight are Brighton & Hove Albion, who have won on each of their last three trips to Old Trafford, and six of the last seven League meetings between the clubs. Never mind the wind behind; for the Seagulls, it’s been a breeze. Having said all that, Brighton are otherwise as gloriously unpredictable as their hosts, so this game is both fascinating and potentially rollickingly good entertainment. Kick-off is at 5.30pm (and we say this for the last time in a while, because remember the clocks fall back tonight, kids) BST. It’s on!
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