Brighton 1-0 Manchester United: Premier League – as it happened (2024)

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.

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.

No time to restart. Late, late, late, late, late drama … but Brighton deserve the win on balance. Revenge for their Wembley heartache!

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.