Manchester United secured a 4-2 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Saturday, marking the first time coach Ruben Amorim has achieved three successive Premier League wins since taking charge 11 months ago. The win over their recent "bogey team," which had won three of the previous four league meetings, lifted United to fourth place in the standings.
United opened the scoring in the 24th minute when Matheus Cunha netted his first goal for the club with a powerful strike into the bottom corner. The lead was doubled ten minutes later by Casemiro, whose long-range effort took a large deflection before finding the net. Bryan Mbeumo extended the lead just after the hour mark, squeezing a low shot past Bart Verbruggen for what seemed like an unassailable 3-0 advantage.
However, Brighton mounted a late comeback to inject drama into the closing stages. Former United striker Danny Welbeck pulled one goal back with a sublime free kick in the 74th minute, which beat United goalkeeper Senne Lammens. The tension heightened in stoppage time when substitute Charalampos Kostoulas headed in a corner, reducing the deficit to 3-2.
With Brighton pushing aggressively for an equalizer, United finally secured the points in the 96th minute when Mbeumo fired his second goal into the roof of the net. Mbeumo, who also scored in the previous week's win over Liverpool, has quickly become a fan favorite. Manager Amorim, who celebrated the win with enthusiasm, praised the forward, calling him "a working machine."
Amorim agreed that the win felt more "complete" than the recent victory over Liverpool, noting that "we did a little bit of everything. We had the ball, create chances, we defend high, we defend low." The victory shifts a momentum for United after an inconsistent start to the season, while Brighton remained in 12th place after the defeat.