Referee Anthony Taylor tried his best to help Brighton, but United’s summer signings had other ideas

Most pundits opined Manchester United’s real test after the Anfield triumph was getting the better of Brighton and Hove Albion, a team who has had their number in recent seasons. The Seagulls had six wins out of seven heading into Saturday’s game and the pressure was on Ruben Amorim to get the better of the club’s bogey side. And in front of a full Old Trafford, the Red Devils performed and how, overpowering the team from South Coast 4-2. The win means three wins on the bounce, the first time the team has achieved this feat under the head coach. Referee Anthony Taylor tried his best to ruin the occasion, not giving as many as three penalties to the hosts, while a lot of obvious fouls were also not awarded, much to the dismay of the Old Trafford faithful. Referee did not want United to win Both Amad and Bryan Mbeumo should have been awarded penalties for blatant fouls inside the box, which VAR also surprisingly overlooked. There was a danger of United becoming frustrated as long as the scores remained goalless, but the summer signings had other ideas. Matheus Cunha opened his account for the 20-time English league champions with a brilliant long-ranger. Casemiro then got in on the act before Bryan Mbeumo scored the third from Benjamin Sesko’s assist. The hosts were cruising at that stage, and Amorim made a glut of changes, choosing to hand minutes to fringe stars. That drop-off in momentum allowed Brighton to pounce. Summer signings had other ideas They scored twice, and with six minutes of added time to play, a hush descended upon the Theatre of Dreams. Senne Lammens pulled off a few fine saves to keep United’s slender lead intact. And Mbeumo was also not done yet. He sealed the deal with his second of the game, and as a result, the three-time Champions League winners climbed up to fourth in the Premier League table. Given the amount of criticism Amorim has had to face, the table shows how close United are to the chasing pack. Now the players need to keep this run going so that they can capitalise should the likes of Arsenal, and Manchester City slip up in the weeks to come. Feature image Carl Recine via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25