Manchester United 3-1 Brighton & Hove Albion: 5 men who were brilliant for United | Premier League 2019-20
When Manchester United welcomed Brighton and Hove Albion to Old Trafford on Sunday in the Premier League, the Red Devils were 10th in the table and dangerously in need of a win in the Premier League. And Solskjaer had every reason to be hopeful ahead of the game.
The Red Devils had impressed in midweek at home in the UEFA Europa League. They won 3-0 against Partizan Belgrade and secured qualification to the knockouts of the tournament. More than the 3 points, it was how the Red Devils played on the night that was a cause for celebration. United were free-flowing in attack and played open entertaining football for the majority of the game. Solskjaer, as such, was looking forward to the same on Sunday.
Their opponents had amassed two points more than the Red Devils and had also gathered one more win in the Premier League this season. The Norwegian knew that his team needed to fire on all cylinders to stop a resurgent Brighton side and he named his team accordingly.
Manchester United Starting XI: David De Gea; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Brandon Williams; Scott McTominay, Fred, Andreas Pereira; Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Daniel James.
Manchester United were off the blocks quickly and took the lead in the 17th minute when Andreas Pereira’s shot was deflected in. Two minutes later, the home side were 2-0 up, thanks to a Davy Propper own goal. After the break, the away side piled up the pressure and got a goal back through Lewis Dunk in the 64th minute. However, Marcus Rashford put United 3-1 ahead in the 66th minute and United went on to secure all 3 points.
Thanks to the result, the Red Devils are 7th in the table ahead of the international break and Solskjaer will be very impressed with these five men who were brilliant for Manchester United against Brighton.
#5 Anthony Martial
It has been clear in recent weeks that Anthony Martial is a vital component in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tactics. The Frenchman is the one who makes this Manchester United team tick and his presence at the tip of the United attack allows the other United attackers to flourish. Even though he did not score against Brighton, Martial picked up 2 assists and helped his team win the game.
The Frenchman set up Andreas Pereira in the first half, who put United ahead in the game. After Brighton had scored, Martial latched on to a through ball from Fred and despite being thwarted by the Brighton backline, had the presence of mind to cut the ball back for Rashford. The Englishman scored and took the game away from the away side.
