Man Utd blow 2-0 lead to Brighton in Carabao Cup exit

Manchester United led Brighton 2-0 at Old Trafford and still went out of the Carabao Cup.

The third-round defeat came on Wednesday 16 September. United started fast, faded badly, and paid for it. The tie was part of a third-round spread played across two midweeks in September, according to the competition organisers EFL.

It was history for the wrong reasons. United had not lost at home after leading 2-0 since 4 September 1976. That day Tottenham came back to win, with John Pratt getting the winner BBC Sport. Back then, Sir Alex Ferguson was still the manager of St Mirren in Scotland.

The bright start belonged to Shea Lacey. He scored in the eighth minute on his first senior start for the club. Aged in his teens, he became the first teenager to score on his first United start since Marcus Rashford in February 2016.

Manager Michael Carrick had made eight changes to his starting team. The Carabao Cup, England’s League Cup knockout competition, is often used for rotation. For 20 minutes, the gamble looked clever. United moved the ball quickly and led 2-0.

Then Brighton took charge. Boss Fabian Hurzeler said afterwards: “The longer the game went, the more we had control” and “I thought we deserved to win.” His side pressed better, kept the ball better, and turned the tie around.

The defeat followed a bruising few days. On the Sunday before, United had lost at home to 10-man Manchester City. There were protests inside and outside Old Trafford around that derby. Earlier in September, United had also drawn at Everton after conceding a stoppage-time goal.

Carrick took over from Ruben Amorim in January and was later confirmed as permanent manager on a contract to 2028 Reuters. He refused to talk about his own position after Brighton. “I don’t feel under pressure,” he said. “Either way, that doesn’t bother me one bit.”

He backed his squad to respond. “Of course we can turn it around, we have got some really good players,” Carrick said.

For supporters, this will sting because of how it happened. A 2-0 home lead usually means control. This time it brought a first such defeat at Old Trafford in 50 years, and another early cup exit to Brighton.