fajar-ramadhan
Manchester United endured another demoralising home collapse as they were dumped out of the League Cup in the third round, surrendering a two-goal advantage to suffer a 3-2 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
The dramatic reversal marked the first time in half a century that United have been beaten at home after establishing a 2-0 lead. The final whistle was met with widespread discontent from the home supporters, whose boos rang out around the stadium as manager Michael Carrick watched his team slump to their second consecutive defeat on home soil.
Everything had initially pointed toward a comfortable evening for the hosts, who struck twice within the opening ten minutes. Nineteen-year-old midfielder Shea Lacey ignited the contest in the eighth minute, collecting the ball on the edge of the Brighton penalty area and dispatching a precise, low finish into the bottom corner to claim his first senior goal for the club.
United doubled their advantage just two minutes later when Mason Mount reacted quickest inside the box. After Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele parried an initial strike from Marcus Rashford, Mount pounced on the rebound to rifle the ball into the roof of the net, giving Carrick's side what seemed to be complete command of the tie.
Lacey’s breakthrough performance stood as a rare bright spark amid recent off-field concerns regarding United's younger talent, notably teenager JJ Gabriel, who has reportedly voiced a desire to depart Old Trafford. However, Carrick’s broader decision to make eight changes to his starting lineup ultimately backfired, exposing a lack of dependable squad depth that has drawn scrutiny toward the club’s recent transfer business.
Brighton clawed their way back into the contest deep into first-half stoppage time. Capitalising on lax defending from United youngster Ayden Heaven, Charalampos Kostoulas found space to drill a low effort past goalkeeper Karl Darlow, dramatically shifting the momentum heading into the interval.
The visitors emerged for the second half with renewed confidence and dismantled United's fragile backline. The equaliser arrived in the 65th minute when Luka Vuskovic headed the ball into the path of Pascal Gross, who maintained his composure to turn and score from close range.
Carrick’s men appeared completely disorganised, and just five minutes later, the turnaround was complete. Kostoulas turned provider in the 70th minute, delivering a sharp cross that allowed Maxim De Cuyper to sweep a six-yard finish into the net after another bout of hesitant defending from the hosts.
In a desperate bid to salvage the tie, Carrick introduced captain Bruno Fernandes and forward Matheus Cunha from the bench in the closing stages. Despite the late attacking reinforcements, United failed to carve out a leveller, allowing Brighton to celebrate knocking United out of a domestic cup competition at Old Trafford for the second time in nine months following their FA Cup victory in Manchester back in January.
The result severely compounds the pressure on Carrick, who earned the permanent managerial post after guiding United to a third-place league finish as interim manager last season. Expected to spearhead a sustained title challenge this campaign, Carrick has instead overseen three defeats in the club's opening six matches across all competitions.
The cup exit follows on the heels of a bruising 1-0 derby loss to Manchester City on Sunday, a match overshadowed by refereeing controversy after officiating chiefs acknowledged that a VAR error had wrongly allowed Erling Haaland's decisive goal to stand. With only one victory from their opening four Premier League matches, United now travel to Fulham on Sunday facing the prospect of a full-blown crisis if they fail to secure three points in west London.
Elsewhere in Wednesday’s League Cup action, Aston Villa secured a much-needed 3-1 victory against Coventry City at the CBS Arena in a clash between two sides languishing in the Premier League relegation places. Unai Emery’s side, who had suffered three defeats in their opening four league outings, broke the deadlock in the seventh minute through Tammy Abraham’s composed finish from George Hemmings’s pass.
Although Victor Torp drew Coventry level with a spectacular 27th-minute free-kick, Villa regained control just before the break when Ross Barkley nodded home Ibrahim Mbaye’s corner. Abraham then sealed Villa's passage to the fourth round just before the hour mark, applying a clinical finish to Barkley's flick in the 59th minute.
At Goodison Park, Everton secured their place in the next round with a hard-fought 1-0 victory against second-tier Wolverhampton Wanderers, courtesy of an 80th-minute curling effort from substitute Charly Alcaraz.
The biggest upset of the evening occurred at Highbury Stadium, where fourth-tier Fleetwood Town created club history by reaching the fourth round for the first time, defeating Championship outfit Sheffield United 1-0.
These fixtures followed an eventful Tuesday schedule in which Arsenal earned a 4-2 victory away to Ipswich Town, Liverpool comfortably defeated a struggling Tottenham Hotspur side 3-1, Fulham edged West Ham United 3-2, and Brentford claimed a 2-1 win at Reading. Cup holders Manchester City conclude the third-round schedule on Thursday when they host Norwich City.
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