Manchester United suffered another damaging domestic cup defeat as Brighton & Hove Albion came from two goals down to win 3-2 at Old Trafford and reach the Carabao Cup fourth round.
United appeared to be in complete control after two quick goals inside the opening 10 minutes. Teenage midfielder Shea Lacey marked his first senior start by opening the scoring in the eighth minute before Mason Mount doubled the advantage two minutes later.
Brighton, however, responded just before half-time when Charalampos Kostoulas pulled one back in first-half stoppage time.
The visitors continued their comeback after the interval, with Pascal Gross equalising in the 65th minute. Just four minutes later, Maxim de Cuyper completed the turnaround by firing Brighton into a 3-2 lead.
United head coach Michael Carrick introduced captain Bruno Fernandes with 18 minutes remaining as he looked for a way back into the contest.
Marcus Rashford came close to restoring parity, but Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele made an important save to deny the forward. At the other end, United goalkeeper Karl Darlow was also forced into action to prevent Brighton from extending their lead.
The defeat marked a remarkable unwanted record for Manchester United. They had not previously lost at home after taking a two-goal lead since a 3-2 defeat by Tottenham in 1976.
The result also continued United’s difficult run in domestic cup competitions. Following their defeat by League Two side Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup last season and Brighton’s FA Cup victory at Old Trafford in January, Wednesday’s result made it three consecutive domestic cup defeats for the club.
Brighton’s victory sends them through to the last 16 of the Carabao Cup, while United’s early exit adds further pressure following their recent Manchester derby defeat by Manchester City.
For Brighton, the comeback capped another memorable night at Old Trafford, with de Cuyper’s 69th-minute strike proving decisive.
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