Manchester United’s woes deepened on Sunday as the managerless Red Devils were dumped out of the FA Cup following a 2-1 defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford.
Brajan Gruda gave the visitors the lead in the first half before former United forward Danny Welbeck struck after the interval. Benjamin Sesko’s late header offered a glimmer of hope, but it came too late to prevent a third-round exit, compounded by a red card for teenage substitute Shea Lacey in the closing moments.
The final whistle was met by a chorus of boos from an increasingly frustrated home crowd, underlining another bleak chapter in a turbulent season.
Caretaker manager Darren Fletcher has been unable to halt the slide since Ruben Amorim’s shock dismissal earlier in the week. United are now expected to appoint an interim boss until the end of the campaign, with former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and ex-midfielder Michael Carrick both reportedly in the frame. Yet the turmoil engulfing Old Trafford has made the role far from attractive, regardless of the club’s illustrious history.
Welbeck, now 35, was part of the United side that lifted their last Premier League title in 2013 under Sir Alex Ferguson, who watched from the directors’ box as the current squad again highlighted how far they have fallen from that golden era.
Languishing in seventh place, United are winless in four matches and have managed just one victory in their last seven. With a Manchester derby looming next weekend, followed by a trip to league leaders Arsenal on January 25, their immediate prospects look grim. After an embarrassing League Cup defeat to fourth-tier Grimsby in August, United have now exited both domestic cups at the first hurdle for the first time since the 1981–82 season.
Brighton, meanwhile, continued their growing dominance at Old Trafford, avenging their 2023 FA Cup semi-final defeat by winning for the fourth time in their last five visits.
Fletcher made three changes from the midweek draw at Burnley, handing Kobbie Mainoo only his second start of the season while leaving Casemiro on the bench. Brighton goalkeeper Jason Steele was quickly into action, producing fine saves to deny Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes early on.
Those missed chances proved costly as Brighton took the lead in the 12th minute. Welbeck sparked the move with a driving run and cross to Georginio Rutter, whose header was cleared off the line by Lisandro Martinez before Gruda pounced to fire past Senne Lammens from close range.
United looked rattled, with chants aimed at co-owners Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family echoing around the stadium. Fernandes dragged a free-kick wide and Matheus Cunha narrowly missed the target as the hosts trudged off to a hostile reception at half-time.
Mainoo was withdrawn after a subdued display, but United’s issues ran far deeper than one individual. Brighton capitalised again in the 64th minute as slack defending allowed Gruda the time to find Welbeck, who rifled a superb finish beyond Lammens to further sour the mood inside Old Trafford.
Sesko’s 85th-minute header from Fernandes’ corner set up a frantic finale, yet there was to be no late rescue. Already booked, Lacey was sent off for throwing the ball away in frustration, bringing a fittingly sour end to another painful night for Manchester United.
