Brighton overturn two-goal deficit to knock Manchester United out of League Cup
Brighton & Hove Albion rallied from two goals down to eliminate Manchester United 3-2 at Old Trafford in the English League Cup on Wednesday, handing Michael Carrick his second straight defeat.
Early two-goal lead at Old Trafford
Manchester United exited the English League Cup on Wednesday evening after surrendering a two-goal advantage in a 3-2 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford. Michael Carrick rotated his squad following Sunday's derby loss to ten-man Manchester City, handing starts to Shea Lacey, Mason Mount, and debutant goalkeeper Karl Darlow while resting central defenders Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire. United took the lead in the eighth minute after Benjamin Sesko held up the ball and Youri Tielemans fed Lacey, who stepped inside Jaouen Hadjam to beat Jason Steele on his full debut. Two minutes later, Mount doubled United's advantage by directing a bouncing rebound into the top corner after Steele parried a low drive from Marcus Rashford, scoring his first goal since December.
Brighton fightback across both halves
Brighton began threatening through transitions as Malick Yalcouye broke clear on Darlow's goal before shooting wide, while Matt O'Riley pressured United's defensive line. The visitors halved the deficit in first-half stoppage time when Hadjam found Charalampos Kostoulas, who capitalized on indecision between Ayden Heaven and Darlow. Fabian Hürzeler's side continued to dictate play in the second half against United's midfield duo of Andrey Santos and Tielemans. Pascal Gross equalized in the 65th minute with a close-range finish to make it 2-2. Substitute Maxim De Cuyper, who entered the pitch in the 66th minute, completed the comeback in the 70th minute with a low shot. Carrick sent on Bruno Fernandes in the 73rd minute and Matheus Cunha, but Steele blocked Rashford's late equalizer attempt.
- Shea Lacey scores on his full debut to give Manchester United a 1-0 lead
- Mason Mount doubles United's advantage from a rebound
- Charalampos Kostoulas scores to reduce Brighton's deficit to 2-1
- Pascal Gross scores the equalizing goal for Brighton
- Maxim De Cuyper enters the pitch as a substitute for Brighton
- Maxim De Cuyper scores the winning goal for Brighton
- Bruno Fernandes enters the match for Manchester United
Surrender of post-Ferguson home record
The collapse is the first occasion since Alex Ferguson retired that Manchester United have lost a match at Old Trafford after establishing a two-goal lead. In the previous 145 home matches where United led by two goals during the post-Ferguson era, the club recorded 143 wins and two draws. The defeat sealed United's elimination from the League Cup at the earliest stage for the second season in a row, following last season's third-round loss to Grimsby. United have now suffered defeat in four consecutive domestic cup matches and lost two straight competitive fixtures for the first time since May 2025.
- Wins
- 143 matches
- Draws
- 2 matches
Pressure mounts on Carrick
The result closes a turbulent four-day sequence for Carrick that began with defeat in the 199th Manchester derby and continued when 15-year-old academy forward JJ Gabriel requested to leave the club. United have taken four points from twelve in the Premier League and travel to Fulham on Sunday. For Brighton, the victory marked their fifth win in their last six visits to Old Trafford and their second cup elimination over United in 2026. Hürzeler's team occupies fifth place in the Premier League table, having also sold midfielder Carlos Baleba to United for £65 million earlier in the transfer window. Elsewhere in Wednesday's third-round fixtures, Aston Villa defeated Coventry 3-1, while Everton eliminated Wolverhampton 1-0 through an 80th-minute goal by Carlos Alcaraz.
