12 hours ago
5
A Ruben Amorim pirouette and revolving fist-pump greeted Bryan Mbeumo putting Manchester United 3-0 up and told the tale of how precious this third consecutive league victory was.
But the goal came on 61 minutes and still United found themselves clinging on at 3-2 deep into added time before Mbeumo smashed home his second, after the Cameroonian ran on to Kobbie Mainoo’s pass from the centre circle. Almost instantly Anthony Taylor blew for time and “Glory, glory Man United” was blared from the PA.
So Brighton, winners of the three of the last four meetings, motor back to the south coast defeated and Amorim’s unit are initially up to fourth, behind Manchester City on goal difference.
The Portuguese will not be happy at the late near-capitulation but can be content with how Mbuemo’s first strike was the second goalscoring triumph of his tactic of having Luke Shaw move up from left centre-back to harry Georginio Rutter. In the buildup Shaw certainly fouled the No 10, but the video assistant referee was not be interested, and thus United took charge and put Mbeumo in via a cute Benjamin Sesko pass. The Cameroonian’s 20-yard finish went through Lewis Dunk’s legs and beat Bart Verbruggen to the goalkeeper’s near, left side.
Cut to the head coach’s celebration and verses of “Ruben Amorim, Ruben Amorim” from the ecstatic home fans, who heralded at the close, too, a third consecutive Premier League win in the same season for a first time since February 2024.
Yet this was confirmed only after Patrick Dorgu’s pulling down of Yankuba Minteh precipitated United conceding twice. First, the wing-back saw Danny Welbeck blaze a free-kick beyond Senne Lammens, the United goalkeeper surely unhappy not to save as the ball went at him rather than to a corner. Then, in added time James Milner’s corner from the right caught United slumbering and the unmarked Charalampos Kostoulas headed in.
In all this were signs of the work in progress United are, but it finished as a good day’s work that began with two penalty shouts being turned down by Taylor. An Amad Diallo jink past Maxim De Cuyper caused the left-back to clip him but the referee was not interested – to home ire. Further fury followed when Dunk seemed to grab Mbeumo in the area, but again Taylor said no.
Amorim spoke of attitude being key and his men kept on and got the reward of the opener. The ball dropped to Bruno Fernandes, whose instant no-look pass to Casemiro was a moment to grace a 300th United appearance. The Brazilian tapped the ball left to Matheus Cunha and a touch to tee it up was followed by a superb driving finish that skimmed past a flailing Verbruggen’s fingertips into the bottom left corner.
This was the £62.5m summer signing’s first goal, in his 10th appearance. If “about time” is a fair call on the strike’s arrival, United’s delight soon doubled as Amorim’s deployment of Shaw as a central zone pickpocket hit the first jackpot.
A Jan Paul van Hecke pass aimed for Rutter was nicked from him by Shaw. Casemiro took aim from 25-yards or so, the ball deflected off Yasin Ayari, left Verbruggen stranded, and in rolled United’s second.
after newsletter promotion
Amorim’s men cruised and it should have been even better by the break’s arrival. Slick interplay involving Fernandes put Sesko in but, yards out, a wild slice from the No 9 missed the target.
As did Rutter, at the other end, though he may have been hurt moments before, impeding his movement. There was, though, zero excuse for the amateurish effort Carlos Baleba ballooned over as the second half began – hardly a prime advert for a player wanted by United in the last window.
Seconds later, Fernandes showed Baleba how it should be done. Cunha found Diallo deep in Brighton’s area, he picked his captain out, and Fernandes’s pile-driver stung Verbruggen when he repelled it. The keeper saved again when Sesko’s radar located the goal but the attempt went straight at him.
Lammens had to be far more alert when a curving Minteh cross missed everyone and was sneaking into the right corner before, quicksilver-like, the keeper tipped it out.
So this closed as United’s only home outing in 50 days, starting with the win over Sunderland on 4 October: a fine way to sign off.
