Manchester United 1-0 Brighton: Premier League highlights and recap
Manchester United beat Brighton 1-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday, Nov. 25. Here are all the highlights from the Premier League match.
Manchester United beat a stubborn Brighton side at Old Trafford on Saturday, breaking the deadlock via a big Lewis Dunk deflection off Ashley Young’s speculative effort in the 66th minute.
Given the difference in stature between these two clus, it would hardly have been a surprise to see the visitors sit deep and focus on keeping a clean sheet, as they did against Manchester City in the first game of the season.
But Chris Hughton’s side showed plenty of ambition in the first half, with Pascal Gross and Anthony Knockaert particularly dangerous. The latter dragged a shot wide after a nice run in the fourth minute, before the former tested David de Gea from distance in the 12th.
None of the Seagulls’ opportunities were clear-cut, and they never truly got in behind the United defense, but the fact they were able to peg the home side back at all was testament to their willingness to commit numbers forward in attack, and their quality in the midfield third.
Though they controlled possession, United did little better creating chances in the first half. Their only clear sight of goal came in the 45th minute, when Matt Ryan denied Paul Pogba with an excellent double save.
The Red Devils move through the gears in the second half, however, forcing Brighton deeper and deeper into their own half. Knockaert and Gross both showed flashes of their quality, but the Seagulls couldn’t keep any meaningful possession.
Still, United didn’t create many clear-cut chances, and were lucky to score in the way did. Young’s shot didn’t look dangerous before flicking of Dunk’s outstretched leg and looping over Ryan at the back post, but it was probably a deserved reward for the home side’s pressure.
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Highlights
United stay in second place with the win, and closed the gap to Manchester City to five points, at least until City play Huddersfield on Sunday. Brighton remain in ninth place, but could slip further down the table pending the weekend’s other results.