Manchester United extended their recent turnaround and rocketed into Champions League qualification with a thrilling 4-2 win over Brighton at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim’s side, looking to use last weekend’s famous 2-1 away win against Liverpool as a big platform, did not take long to take the lead as big-money summer recruit Matheus Cunha opened his account for United midway through the first half.
With life returning to life around Old Trafford, United doubled their lead after just 10 minutes with former Real Madrid ace Casemiro deflecting a shot past Brighton shot-stopper Bert Verbruggen.
Fellow summer signing Brian Mbeumo added a third goal shortly after the break and all signs pointed to United being in complete control.
But former United striker Danny Welbeck took home a superb free-kick in the final 15 minutes, while Brighton set up a grandstand finish in stoppage time when Charampos Kostoulas flicked a header in at his near post.
The atmosphere at Old Trafford may have changed considerably, but Mbeumo scored his second goal of the night as the former Brentford star led United to a third successive top flight win.
As for Brighton, they are still waiting for their Premier League winning streak since the start of the new season, while the Seagulls finished Saturday’s game in 13th place and are still looking for vital stability.
On a night where Manchester United continued to build on their recent impressive run of form, we looked at the main talking points from Old Trafford.
United on the rise
Although the season ended in September with a 3-1 loss to Brentford, there were reports in some quarters that Amorim could be substituted during the October international break.
But while the former Sporting Lisbon manager may have come under a lot of scrutiny since arriving at Old Trafford 11 months ago, it is certain that United are enjoying their most fruitful days at Amorim.
The Red Devils, who returned from a two-week break with a sensational last-minute 2-1 win away to historic rivals Liverpool last weekend, have soared up the Premier League table and the mood in the camp has reached a memorable high.
United showed their true determination by scoring four times against Brighton, winning all three of their previous appearances by a combined score of 8-3.
Similarly, Amorim’s side rocketed into Champions League qualification after picking up 12 points from their last five top-flight clashes.
Cunha and Mbeumo show their true potential
It was no secret that Amorim was desperate to complete a major attacking overhaul over the summer, with only 44 Premier League goals scored last season and only one club finishing outside the relegation zone scoring fewer goals in the top flight.
In total, United bosses spent nearly £200m on Cunha, Mbeumo and Slovenian international Benjamin Sesco, while Rasmus Hjølund completed his loan move to Napoli and Alejandro Garnacho eventually sealed a permanent move to Chelsea.
United’s new attacking trio may have initially struggled to find any real immediate impact, but they are now certainly firing on all cylinders.
Mbeumo is rapidly cementing his status as one of this summer’s Premier League signings after seeing Cunha open his Manchester United account in the first half here.
Mbeumo, who scored two classy goals at Old Trafford and received a string of praise from Amorim following Sunday’s 4-2 win over Manchester’s Reds, has now recorded five direct goal contributions in the same number of appearances for club and country.
Contradictions plague Brighton again
Brighton may have ultimately fallen short in the race to land another high-profile adventure in Europe last season, but the Seagulls went into the game confident of another serious challenge back in August.
However, despite making his return from a two-week interval in October with an eye-catching 2-1 win at home to Newcastle, Fabian Hürzeler’s side have shown some inconsistency.
Despite storming to a 3-1 victory away at Chelsea and capping off September with a stunning comeback in west London, Saturday’s guests were unable to record back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since the start of the 2025/26 season.
Brighton, who once again sit in the bottom half of the table, also understand the importance of finding key defensive steel.
It was the second time this year that they have scored four goals here, but the Seagulls have yet to keep a clean sheet in their first nine Premier League games.
Match report
Manchester United: Mothers, Yoro, Wright, Shaw, Dalot, Dalot, Casemiro, Fernandes, Mbeumo, Cunha, Sescoa
Sub: Dorgu, Mainu, Heaven, Jirkzee, Ugarte
Brighton: Verbruggen, Wiefer, Van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu, Ayari, Valeva, Minte, Rutter, De Kuiper, Welbeck
Sub: Kostoulas, Milner, Gomez, Watson, Tzimas
the goal: Manchester United: Cunha (24 minutes), Casemiro (34 minutes), Mbeumo (61 minutes, 90+6 minutes) – Brighton: Welbeck (74 minutes), Kostoulas (90+2 minutes)
Yellow card: Manchester United: Sesco, Dorg – Brighton: Valeva, Kadioglu
Red card: Not applicable
Referee: anthony taylor