(Football news) Having won 1-0 at home against Aston Villa, Manchester United came into this with a chance to go above Newcastle in 3rd position. Erik Ten Hag made 4 changes to the line-up from the last game. Aaron Wan-Bisakka returned at right back while Diogo Dalot switched flanks and Tyrell Malacia dropped to the bench.
Marcel Sabitzer and Christian Eriksen were replaced by Fred and Antony. Anthony Martial returned up front as Marcus Rashford was relocated to left wing with Jadon Sancho dropping to the bench. As for Brighton, Kaoru Mitoma returned while Solly March dropped to the bench.
Antony had a chance to open the scoring inside 90 seconds in but the Brazilian failed to hit the target. In the 4th minute Mitoma intercepted Victor Lindelof’s pass and was one on one with David De Gea but the Spaniard managed to save it with his face. Marcus Rashford came close to breaking the deadlock in the 28th minute but Jason Steele pulled off a save. The first half ended at 0-0 despite teams creating some good chances.
In the 2nd half both teams had half chances until the 90th minute when David De Gea kept out Alexis Mac Allister’s long range effort. Manchester United couldn’t keep the ball and paid the price. Luke Shaw handled the ball in the box and the referee pointed to the spot after consulting with VAR. Mac Allister stepped up and sent De Gea the wrong way to win it for Brighton.
Manchester United are now 2 points behind Newcastle with the same amount of games. Liverpool are now 4 points behind The Red Devils who have a game in hand. The result is great for Liverpool who are making a late dash for that 4th spot. Brighton are not far behind as they are 8 points behind Manchester United with a game in hand.
The race for European spots is heating up as 7 teams are still in the race. Manchester United’s away form has been dreadful this season. They have drawn 1 and 7 away games against teams in the top 9 of the Premier League. Erik Ten Hag will be hoping to recover next week as they play West Ham away.
Also read: Atletico Madrid overtake Real Madrid to claim 2nd spot in La Liga
