Manchester United defeated Brighton & Hove Albion in the most dramatic of fashions to secure the first victory of their 2020/21 Premier League campaign.
From the first whistle, both the home side as well as the traveling Red Devils exhibited a true fighting spirit. Within the first 21 minutes of the game, Brighton attackers hit the post on two separate occasions. In the 30th minute, the goalpost once again saved Man United as Adam Webster’s header connected with the crossbar.
Barely two minutes later and it was Man United’s turn to come close to scoring. After an impressive partnership by Martial and Rashford, the ball fell to Mason Greenwood, whose shot hit the back of the net only for the goal to be ruled offside.
Brighton’s breakthrough finally came in the 40th minute, when Neal Maupay scored a cheeky penalty after Tariq Lamptey was brought down by Bruno Fernandes. Barely three minutes later and the Red Devils equalized, with a combination of Harry Maguire and Lewis Dunk helping the ball over the line.
Following the half time break, the game retained its high intensity. For the second time, Man United had a goal disallowed as Rashford was found offside. In the 55th minute, Rashford scored the goal he deserved, putting United in the lead for the first time.
After a handful of close attempts, Brighton finally leveled in the fourth minute of stoppage time as Solly March headed home an equalizer. If that wasn’t dramatic enough, Maupay’s 98th-minute handball resulted in a Man United penalty, which Fernandez put away to hand the Red Devils a dramatic 3-2 victory.
