Brighton & Hove Albion preserved their flawless Premier League run with an exciting 2-1 triumph over Manchester United on Saturday, as Joao Pedro netted a dramatic last-minute winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time. The goal capped a victorious home debut for new manager Fabian Huerzeler, keeping Brighton firmly at the top of the league table.
The match was kicked off by Brighton striker Danny Welbeck, who drew first blood against his old club. Kaoru Mitoma delivered a ball superbly into the six-yard box to find Welbeck at the end. Having come through the ranks at Manchester United and being a winner of the Premier League with them in 2012-13, Welbeck managed to stretch out a leg to net his second goal of the season. This strike also marked a big milestone for Welbeck, as it was his 100th career goal in club football and his sixth against United.
The response of Manchester United came via Marcus Rashford, who calmly slotted the ball into the net. But his joy was soon curtailed by the linesman’s offside flag. Not deterred, United continued to press for an equalizer, which came in the second half when Amad Diallo played through on goal, cutting inside the defender to see his shot deflect past the goalkeeper of Brighton, Jason Steele, leveling things at 1-1.
Brighton almost regained the lead in the early minutes of the second period when a James Milner strike, played in by Joao Pedro, was cleared off the line by United’s Diogo Dalot. Manchester United, on the other hand, got a good share of the chances to turn the game their way, as the pick of the lot was an extremely debated goal by Alejandro Garnacho in the 69th minute. Garnacho’s shot looked like heading into the net but the sliding Joshua Zirkzee to meet a cross had the ball deflect off him coming from an offside position; hence the VAR decision that annulled the goal.
Just as the match had seemed to be heading for a share of the spoils, Brighton got the winning goal in the final minute. Great movement from Simon Adingra into the box by chipping the ball over United’s defence, before Joao Pedro directed it into the goal with a header. The win secures new boss Fabian Huerzeler back-to-back victories and continues with Brighton on top of the table in the Premier League after two matches.
