Struggling Manchester United Suffer FA Cup Exit to Brighton
Manchester Uniteds woes deepened as the team without a permanent manager suffered a 2-1 loss to Brighton in the FA Cup on Sunday, leading to their early departure from the competition.
Brajan Gruda opened the scoring for Brighton during the first half at Old Trafford, followed by a goal from ex-United forward Danny Welbeck after the interval.
Benjamin Seskos response arrived too late to prevent the third-round elimination, while young United player Shea Lacey received a red card in the dying seconds.
The home supporters expressed their anger with jeers after this latest disappointing outcome in a challenging campaign.
Interim coach Darren Fletcher has been unable to halt the decline since Ruben Amorims unexpected dismissal on Monday, and the club is now seeking a temporary leader to guide them through the seasons remainder.
Ex-United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and former midfielder Michael Carrick, known for his achievements at the club, are among those mentioned for the short-term position.
Despite the clubs storied history, the turmoil at Old Trafford currently offers little attraction to prominent managerial candidates.
Welbeck, aged 35, featured for United during their last Premier League triumph in 2013 under Sir Alex Ferguson, who observed the match against Brighton from the directors box, highlighting the stark contrast to the glory days under the Scottish icon.
Sitting in seventh place in the Premier League, United remain winless in their past four outings and have secured just one victory from their previous seven fixtures.
This poor run shows no immediate signs of ending, with Manchester City visiting Old Trafford next weekend, followed by an away trip to league leaders Arsenal on January 25.
Following an embarrassing League Cup defeat to fourth-tier Grimsby in August, United have now been knocked out of both domestic cup competitions in the opening round for the first time since the 1981-82 season.
Securing revenge for their 2023 FA Cup semi-final defeat to United, Brighton have triumphed in four of their most recent five trips to Old Trafford.
United in Turmoil
Uniteds Kobbie Mainoo made only his second start of the season, as Fletcher opted to leave Casemiro out of the starting lineup among three alterations from the recent 2-2 stalemate against lower-ranked Burnley in midweek.
Brightons goalkeeper Jason Steele produced excellent stops to thwart Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes during the opening exchanges.
However, Brighton capitalised on these reprieves to surge ahead in the 12th minute.
Welbeck sparked the move with a sharp run and delivery to Georginio Rutter, whose effort was blocked on the goal line by Lisandro Martinez, allowing Gruda to fire the ball beyond Senne Lammens from near range.
United appeared disorganised, and cries targeting co-owners Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family echoed around Old Trafford.
Fernandes curled a free-kick astray, and Matheus Cunha just missed the target, as United headed into the break amid a chorus of boos.
Mainoo was substituted during the second period following a subdued performance that did not challenge Amorims earlier choices to sideline him for much of the term.
Uniteds difficulties extend beyond Mainoo alone, and Brighton exploited their chaotic backline to extend the advantage in the 64th minute.
Gruda found ample room to locate Welbeck in the penalty area, where he unleashed a superb shot beyond Lammens, intensifying the hostile mood in the stadium.
Sesko ignited a chaotic finish by nodding in from Fernandes 85th-minute corner.
Yet United failed to stage a comeback, and Lacey, already cautioned, capped off the agonising loss by earning a second yellow for petulantly discarding the ball.