Matheus Cunha’s first goal for Manchester United inspired a 4-2 win against Brighton on Saturday as Ruben Amorim’s revitalised side reeled off their third successive victory.
After going eight games in all competitions without a goal following his close-season move from Wolves, Brazilian forward Cunha netted in the first half at Old Trafford to start repaying his £62.5 million ($83 million) transfer fee.
Casemiro doubled United’s lead before the interval and Bryan Mbeumo was on target in the second half.
Danny Welbeck’s late goal against his former club and a stoppage-time effort from Charalampos Kostoulas came too late for Brighton to snatch a point.
Mbeumo struck again at the death to give United three consecutive Premier League wins for the first time since February 2024 under Amorim’s predecessor Erik ten Hag.
United’s confident display maintained the momentum from last weekend’s win against Liverpool and the success against Sunderland that preceded their first triumph at Anfield since 2016.
That 2-1 victory against the Premier League champions had given Amorim a much-needed boost after a turbulent start to the season.
Now United’s latest win has lifted them into fourth place in the Premier League ahead of the rest of the weekend’s fixtures.
Brighton had won on their last three visits at Old Trafford and had beaten United in six out of their previous eight games in all competitions.
But United ended that shocking sequence despite the absence of the injured Harry Maguire, the match-winning hero against Liverpool.
Bruno Fernandes was making his 300th appearance for United and the Portugal midfielder should have marked the occasion with a first minute goal.
United captain Fernandes, unmarked from close-range, dragged his header wide with the goal at his mercy.
– Clinical United –
Amorim’s team were rewarded for their early barrage in the 24th minute as Fernandes and Casemiro teed up Cunha just outside the Brighton area for a sweet strike that gave Bart Verbruggen no chance as it raced into the far corner.
Since the start of last season, Cunha has scored seven goals from outside the area, more than any other Premier League player in all competitions.
Casemiro joined his fellow Brazilian on the scoresheet in the 34th minute.
If Cunha’s goal was superbly crafted and finished, Casemiro needed a substantial slice of luck to net for the second time this term.
Casemiro’s shot from the edge of the area took a wicked deflection off Brighton’s Yasin Ayari, catching Verbruggen wrong-footed as it tricked apologetically over the line.
United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe recently said the under-fire Amorim would get three years to put the club back on track after their worst top-flight finish since 1973-74 last season.
While cynics doubted whether Ratcliffe will stick to his word if United continued to struggle, Amorim would have been pleased to hear his employer was seen clapping and cheering as the hosts took control.
United have never lost a Premier League game at Old Trafford when leading at half time.
Mbeumo ensured that statistic would continue when the Cameroon forward slotted home in composed fashion in the 61st minute, to the frustration of Brighton who claimed Luke Shaw committed a foul in the build-up.
It was Mbeumo’s fourth goal since his close-season move from Brentford as the Cameroon forward maintained the momentum from last weekend’s strike against Liverpool.
When Welbeck struck in the 74th minute with a superb free-kick, United’s nerves began to jangle.
Their pulses were racing even faster after Kostoulas headed in James Milner’s corner in the closing seconds.
But Mbeumo quelled the mounting anxiety with virtually the last kick as he sprinted onto Fernandes’s pass and fired home via the crossbar.
AFP
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