Manchester United's miserable few days went from bad to worse as Brighton fought back from two goals down to knock them out of the Carabao Cup with a 3-2 victory at Old Trafford. The defeat follows United's derby loss to Manchester City and news that youngster JJ Gabriel wants to leave the club, piling further pressure on manager Michael Carrick.
Carrick made wholesale changes for the tie, handing a full debut to 19-year-old Shea Lacey just days after the Gabriel saga became public. The decision looked inspired early on as Lacey announced himself in style, cutting in from the right and beating goalkeeper Jason Steele with a composed finish in the seventh minute after good hold-up play from Benjamin Sesko set the move in motion.
United doubled their lead almost immediately. Marcus Rashford drove into the box down the left and forced a save from Steele, but the rebound fell kindly for Mason Mount, who finished from close range for his first goal since last December's win at Wolves.
With United 2-0 up inside ten minutes, a routine victory seemed likely, but Brighton steadily worked their way back into the contest. Fabian Hürzeler's side, who had thrashed Coventry 5-0 in their last outing, began to find gaps in United's defence. Just before half-time, a long diagonal ball from Jaouen Hadjam exposed the United backline, catching Ayden Heaven and Leny Yoro out of position, and Charalampos Kostoulas raced through to slot past debutant goalkeeper Karl Darlow.
Rashford had a golden chance to restore United's two-goal cushion but could not beat Steele in a one-on-one, a miss that would prove costly. Brighton continued to grow in confidence after the break, and around the 65-minute mark captain Pascal Gross drew the visitors level, drifting into the box unchallenged before firing low past Darlow.
Carrick responded by making a raft of changes, introducing Bryan Mbeumo, Kobbie Mainoo and Matheus Cunha in an attempt to regain control. But it was Brighton who struck next. A mix-up at the back saw Diogo Dalot's clearance fail to reach Sesko, allowing the ball to fall to Brighton, and after Kostoulas's cross deflected awkwardly off Noussair Mazraoui, substitute Maxim De Cuyper was on hand to finish from close range in the 69th minute, completing the turnaround.
United pushed for a leveller in the closing stages, with Bruno Fernandes also introduced from the bench, but the response never truly materialised. Rashford had another sight of goal late on but shot straight at Steele rather than testing the corners, summing up a frustrating night for the hosts. Brighton also went close to extending their lead when Kostoulas nearly netted a second.
The defeat leaves Carrick's reign under increasing scrutiny. United have taken just four points from their opening twelve league matches this season, and Sunday's trip to Fulham now takes on added significance as they look to arrest a troubling start to the campaign. For Brighton, the win continues an encouraging run of form that has them sitting fifth in the table, and they progress to the next round of the competition.
Elsewhere in the competition, League Two side Fleetwood Town produced one of the shocks of the round, beating Championship club Sheffield United 1-0 courtesy of a second-half own goal from Rhys Norrington-Davies, while Everton edged past Wolves 1-0 thanks to a second-half strike from substitute Charly Alcaraz, assisted by Tyler Dibling.
Based on reporting from Guardian Football and Standard Football.