Ten-Man Manchester United Crumble Against Brighton in Shocking FA Cup Exit

Manchester United suffered FA Cup elimination following a 2-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion in Sunday's third round clash at Old Trafford.

This marks just the third occasion since 1984 that United have departed the FA Cup at such an early juncture—joining Leeds United in 2009-10 and Swansea City in 2013-14—meaning their 2025-26 campaign will conclude after merely 17 additional Premier League fixtures with no other competitions remaining.

Brajan Gruda opened the scoring for Brighton in the first period, before Danny Welbeck's precise finish doubled their advantage just past the hour mark. Benjamin Šeško netted his third strike in two matches to offer Darren Fletcher's side hope of forcing additional time, however 18-year-old replacement Shea Lacey, who had shown promise after his introduction, received his dismissal late on, extinguishing any prospect of a United revival.

Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Brighton (4-2-3-1)

*Ratings Provided by Fotmob*

GK: Senne Lammens—5.5: Escaped punishment for an errant distribution before preventing a swift Brighton second by denying Welbeck.

RB: Diogo Dalot—6.7: With no natural wingers available, both fullbacks bore responsibility for providing width in attack. Dalot fulfilled this role early and was unlucky not to score when through on goal.

CB: Leny Yoro—6.2: Selected ahead of Ayden Heaven for this encounter.

CB: Lisandro Martínez—7.2: Made a crucial goal-line clearance during Brighton's opening goal sequence, though was powerless to prevent the follow-up.

LB: Patrick Dorgu—6.5: Deployed at left-back following recent appearances as a winger on both flanks, though he continued to maintain an attacking presence high up the field. Failed to close down Gruda for Brighton's second goal.

CM: Kobbie Mainoo—6.9: Returned from injury to make his first start since Aug. 27, seizing his opportunity to impress. Generated several chances in the opening half alone and will believe he deserves more starts based on this display.

CM: Manuel Ugarte—6.7: A relatively subdued showing from the Uruguayan midfielder.

RM: Mason Mount—6.3: Lacked precision in key moments, with limited overall involvement in proceedings.

AM: Bruno Fernandes—8.2: Registered more passes than any other player, created four opportunities and proved United's most consistent attacking threat.

LM: Matheus Cunha—6.6: Chose to drift centrally rather than hug the touchline, with his heaviest involvement coming in more central areas. Something was absent from his performance.

ST: Benjamin Šeško—7.5: Epitomized a classic penalty box striker display. Managed just 19 touches, but five occurred in Brighton's area and he claimed his third goal in two appearances.

Subs not used: Altay Bayındır (GK), Ayden Heaven, Tyrell Malacia, Jack Fletcher, Tyler Fletcher.

Brighton (4-2-3-1)

Starting XI: Jason Steele; Joël Veltman, Diego Coppola, Olivier Boscagli, Ferdi Kadıoğlu; Jack Hinshelwood, Pascal Groß; Brajan Gruda, Diego Gómez, Georginio Rutter; Danny Welbeck.

Subs used: Jan Paul van Hecke, Yasin Ayari, Kaoru Mitoma, Charalampos Kostoulas, Tom Watson.

Player of the Match: Brajan Gruda (Brighton)

Man Utd Player of the Match: Bruno Fernandes

Man Utd 1–2 Brighton: How it Unfolded at Old Trafford

The home side began energetically. Within the opening minutes, Bruno Fernandes released Diogo Dalot through on goal, only for Jason Steele to thwart the United right-back. Dalot subsequently fired another early chance over the crossbar, while Steele also parried a Fernandes free-kick.

After absorbing that initial onslaught, Brighton composed themselves before taking the initiative. Gruda's opener saw the Seagulls transition from defense to attack, with Welbeck eventually delivering a cross from the left. Georginio Rutter's initial header was cleared off the line by Lisandro Martínez, but the ball rebounded perfectly for Gruda to convert from seven yards.

The visitors nearly doubled their lead moments later. Senne Lammens was at fault, surrendering possession with a careless pass and compensating for his mistake by denying Welbeck.

United attempted to respond as Šeško first tested Steele, while an unbalanced Matheus Cunha fired wide from 25 yards. Given freedom to advance in open play, Martínez had several opportunities but couldn't restore parity for his team.

Brighton's danger was highlighted when Welbeck struck the side netting on the wrong side of the post in the first half's closing stages, while Fernandes and Cunha both missed from distance before the interval. However, it proved frustrating that United trailed despite controlling the statistics and superior xG figures.

Brighton had consecutive shots from outside the penalty area blocked after the restart. The Seagulls threatened with other efforts that sailed wide, prompting Fletcher to make an attacking double substitution hoping to spark United's comeback—Joshua Zirkzee and Lacey were introduced. Yet almost immediately, they fell further behind.

Gruda collected the ball in ample space with his back to goal, approximately 30 yards out. Remarkably, he was granted time to turn and deliver a short pass to Welbeck, whose first touch set up the left-footed strike that thundered past Lammens into the net.

Dorgu, culpable for not pressuring Gruda, appealed for a penalty when he tumbled under contact, though it would have been generous. Šeško then headed narrowly wide following excellent work from the impressive and fearless Lacey. The teenager was again instrumental when Dorgu's ambitious overhead kick attempt went straight to Steele.

Lacey seized control of the match in a manner his senior teammates had failed to achieve at Old Trafford and came close himself with a curling effort from the box's edge. Šeško then fired directly at Steele, before the mounting pressure finally yielded results.

From a Fernandes corner with just five minutes remaining in regulation, the towering Slovenian rose alongside United substitute Harry Maguire and reached the ball first, directing his header toward the near post and into the net.

However, what was developing into a late revival became catastrophic when Lacey received his marching orders. The youngster had recently been cautioned for fouling Yasin Ayari, and his youth and inexperience perhaps showed just two minutes later when he hurled the ball in frustration and was shown a second yellow card for dissent.

Time remained for a headed stoppage-time opportunity for Maguire, but Steele proved equal to the task.

Man Utd vs. Brighton Half-Time Stats

Man Utd vs. Brighton Full Time Stats