Report: United 4 Brighton 2

Ruben Amorim's men took the lead after 24 minutes when Matheus Cunha netted his first United goal, followed up 10 minutes later by a deflected Casemiro effort to double our advantage.

Bryan Mbeumo extended our lead to three on the other side of the break, but former United man Danny Welbeck threatened to pull the visitors back into it when he clawed one back, direct from a free-kick.

Charalampos Kostoulas reduced our lead to one in stoppage time, but Mbeumo put the result beyond doubt even deeper into added time, putting another three points on the Premier League board for United and, temporarily at least, moving us into fourth in the table.

FIRST HALF - REDS BRING THE FIRE

Both sets of players took the knee as part of the Premier League's 'No Room For Racism' campaign, before referee Anthony Taylor signalled an opening to proceedings.

The Reds showed early that our intention was to carry the momentum of last weekend's away win at Anfield through to this meeting, with Bruno Fernandes nodding a Mbeumo delivery just wide, and Cunha racing through the middle before hitting the side-netting, both within the first five minutes.

The Seagulls managed to somewhat arrest that electric start with a couple attacks of their own, and Yankuba Minteh sidefooted a gilt-edged chance wide, although the offside flag went up, and Welbeck hit the target, the latter denied when Senne Lammens held the effort well.

Amad thought he'd won a penalty 15 minutes in, when he looked to have been brought down by Maxim De Cuyper, as did Mbeumo when he seemed to be pulled back in the same spot by Lewis Dunk after seizing a loose Brighton pass just over five minutes later, but Taylor firmly waved both appeals away, much to bemusement in some quarters.

As it turned out, the Reds needed neither to breach the Brighton goal, as two minutes after that second shout, Casemiro collected a Fernandes pass and poked the ball through to Cunha, who shifted the ball on to his right foot and curled it perfectly into the bottom-right corner.

It was the Brazilian's first goal since joining United from Wolverhampton Wanderers this summer, and his beaming smile after wheeling away to celebrate with the Old Trafford crowd made it clear just how much it meant to be off the mark.

Casemiro extended the all-Brazilian theme just 10 minutes, when he collected a loose ball in the centre of the pitch and let a shot fly – although replays show that Yasin Ayari's big deflection may have sent an effort towards goal that was otherwise going wide. Luke Shaw claimed the assist.

There was time enough for Benjamin Sesko to power a chance at goal, teed up by Mbeumo, but the effort flashed wide.

Nevertheless, as the break beckoned, it was evidence enough that United were not intending to rest on our two-goal cushion.

SECOND HALF – BATTLE TO THE END

Brighton emerged looking out of sorts after the interval, epitomised by Carlos Baleba blazing a shot high into the stands not long after kick-off, and more than one pass going awry.

One such occasion led to a chance for Sesko, who only had shooting on his mind. The effort was directed straight at Verbruggen, but there was such power behind it that the Dutch keeper could only parry it back into play.

The Slovenian was determined to make a contribution, and did so just five minutes later, chopping the ball infield before knocking it forward to Mbeumo.

From there, the Seagulls knew they were in trouble, as the Cameroon international characteristically shifted onto his left foot, and squeezed his shot between Jean Paul van Hecke and Dunk, and beyond the grasp of Verbruggen.

Three to the good, the Theatre of Dreams was now bouncing, with chants for Amorim, United, the players on the pitch and a classic rendition of 'We've Seen It All' ringing around M16.

There was to be no relaxing at that point, however, with a good portion of the game still to go. Matthijs de Ligt hammered home that point, cleverly nodding a Seagulls cross over his own bar that Welbeck was threatening to reach.

The warning proved pertinent 15 minutes from the end, when substitute Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu was judged to have brought down Minteh, despite minimal contact. Referee Taylor gave a yellow card, despite the Brighton forward seemingly being through, even though he had clearly overrun it, and his decision was upheld by VAR after checking for a red.

Danger had seemingly been averted, until Welbeck stepped up to take the set-piece and drilled a shot over the wall and beyond the outstretched arm of Lammens, with the ball going high into the net.

Having been in control for the first three quarters of the game, that one incident threatened to derail proceedings as Brighton looked encouraged, and it got nervier still as Kostoulas nodded home a James Milner corner at the near post, in stoppage time.

It was threatening to be a sketchy ending for the Reds, until Mbeumo stepped up to the plate to put the victory beyond doubt, crashing our fourth, and his second, into the roof of the net, when Fernandes cleverly left a through ball by substitute Ayden Heaven.

Job done.

MATCH DETAILS

United: Lammens; Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw (Heaven 65); Amad (Dorgu 70), Fernandes (c), Casemiro (Mainoo 70), Dalot; Mbeumo, Cunha (Ugarte 82); Sesko (Zirkzee 82).

Subs not used: Bayindir, Malacia, Mazraoui, Mount.

Goals: Cunha 24, Casemiro 34, Mbeumo 61, 90+7.

Booked: Dorgu, Sesko.

Brighton: Verbruggen; De Cuyper (Watson 59), Dunk, Van Hecke, Kadioglu; Baleba (Milner 60), Wieffer (Tzimas 87), Minteh, Ayari (Gomez 59), Rutter (Kostoulas 79); Welbeck.

Subs not used: Steele, Boscagli, Coppola, Oriola, Tzimas.

Goals: Welbeck 74, Kostoulas 90+2.

Booked: Baleba, Kadioglu.

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