Manchester United 1-0 Brighton Report

Manchester United 1-0 Brighton

[ Premier League 2017-18 Match ] 

        66′ 1 – 0 Dunk OG         

Ashley Young's deflected strike proved the slice of luck Manchester United needed to sneak past promoted Brighton.

Swashbuckling Manchester City headed into the weekend with an eight-point cushion at the top of the Premier League, and that meant Jose Mourinho's second-placed side could ill-afford to drop points at home to Chris Hughton's men.

Well-drilled Brighton threatened to cause an upset as they impressed on their first trip to Old Trafford since 1993, only for Young's strike to loop in via a cruel deflection off Lewis Dunk as United eked out a 1-0 win.

It took their run of victories at home against Premier League newcomers to 19 matches, getting an important sequence of games off to a winning start ahead of trips to Watford and Arsenal.

Brighton were unlucky to see their five-match unbeaten run come to an end after an assured display at Old Trafford, where they panicked the hosts with fleet-footed counter-attacks and dangerous crosses.

Their goalkeeper Mathew Ryan produced a fine double-save to keep United from grabbing the lead just before half-time, but the Australiam could do nothing to prevent Young's second-half strike flying off Dunk and past him.

It was a welcome return to winning ways for United after their midweek Champions League loss in Basel, but Mourinho's pre-match call for his players to begin sharply fell on deaf ears.

Romelu Lukaku's wayward strike set the tone for a plodding first half against a confident Brighton side, with Anthony Knockaert's fizzing cross a fourth-minute shot across the bows before David De Gea comfortably stopped Pascal Gross' first-time attempt.