Manchester United suffered a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Wednesday, crashing out of the Carabao Cup despite taking a two-goal lead inside the opening nine minutes.
United started brightly as Shea Lacey opened the scoring early, with the youngster making an immediate impact against the same opposition.
The hosts soon doubled their advantage after Marcus Rashford’s effort was saved, allowing Mason Mount to pounce on the rebound and make it 2-0.
However, Brighton gradually grew into the contest and reduced the deficit before half-time, putting pressure on a United side that had made several changes to its starting line-up.
The visitors continued to expose weaknesses in United’s defence after the restart, with the hosts struggling to contain Brighton’s attacking movements.
The equaliser came after United failed to deal with pressure in their own half, allowing Pascal Gross to finish from close range after a loose ball fell to him.
Brighton then completed the turnaround five minutes later when Maxim De Cuyper capitalised on another defensive lapse to put the visitors 3-2 ahead.
United manager Michael Carrick responded with a series of substitutions, bringing on Kobbie Mainoo, Bryan Mbeumo, Joshua Zirkzee, Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha as the hosts searched for a way back into the game.
Despite late pressure and possession around Brighton’s penalty area, United were unable to find an equaliser and were eliminated from the competition.
The defeat also adds pressure ahead of their Premier League trip to Fulham on Sunday, with United having collected only four points from their opening four league matches.
