BRUNO AT DOUBLE AS REDS RUN RIOT
FORGET a behindclosed-doors training match, this bore more resemblance to a walk in a park for Manchester United. In this mood, they are nailed on for Champions League football. This was absolutely devastating; Brighton had no answer.
In truth, this performance from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s in-form team would leave most of their Premier League rivals floored.
In the end they scored three, with Mason Greenwood’s opener supplemented by a brace from Bruno Fernandes to close the gap on Chelsea in the race for fourth to just two points. But they could easily have scored twice that.
Solskjaer made eight changes from the starting line-up which edged past Norwich in the FA Cup at the weekend; this was another opportunity to develop the promising midfield axis of Fernandes and Paul Pogba.
By the end it wasn’t hard to understand why the combination has United fans salivating.
This result saw United overtake Wolves into fifth. Depending on the outcome of Manchester City’s appeal against their European ban, that could be enough for United to regain entry back into the Champions League.
But this is United, who shouldn’t be slipping in through the back door — their Norwegian manager, with all his pedigree, knows that better than anybody. On this evidence, though, they surely won’t have to. Their unbeaten run now stands at 15 games across all competitions.
United’s fortunes won’t be of any concern to Graham Potter. Staying in the division is the be-alland-end-all for Brighton and their promising young manager.
Three matches unbeaten during Project Restart prior to this defeat had inched the Seagulls towards their holy grail.
They will have to wait a while longer to reach that magical 40point mark — they are still seven short of that — but there is no reason for Potter’s men to be too downhearted after this defeat. United, in this form, are a match for anybody.
In keeping with their recent upsurge United made a confident start, and Anthony Martial’s ominous spin inside the Brighton area caused panic in the home defence in a sign of what was to follow. We caught a glimpse of why so much is expected of the Pogba-Fernandes partnership in the 12th minute, the former laying on an inch-perfect pass into his team-mate’s path only for the Portuguese’s shot from 20 yards to cannon off the post.
Marcus Rashford then saw his penalty appeal turned down by referee Andre Marriner moments later following Dan Burn’s clumsy challenge.
Brighton, put simply, were there for the taking and United looked in no mood to let them off the hook. The opener arrived in the 16th minute when Greenwood drove into the area, threw in a few step-overs for good measure, and fired a shot low to the left of Brighton keeper Mat Ryan.
You feared the worst for Brighton. Pogba was strutting around the Amex like he owned the place, Greenwood was proving again why it’s only a matter of time before he earns a full England call-up and Fernandes — as ever — oozed class and vision.
And then, whenever Brighton dared venture anywhere near David de Gea’s goal, Nemanja Matic or Harry Maguire were on hand to slam the door directly back in their face.
United’s second arrived in the 30th minute — almost a carbon copy of the scenario that saw Fernandes strike the post earlier on, only this time the 25year-old’s strike from Pogba’s pass crept inside Ryan’s post. Much of the damage was caused immediately beforehand, with Rashford and Luke Shaw brilliantly ripping Brighton’s right side to pieces before Pogba and Fernandes took over. Brighton couldn’t wait for halftime, while United appeared happy to play until the morning. Solskjaer’s team were thrilling, exciting and dogged all in equal measure. All the ingredients are there. Making good on qualification for the Champions League will
inevitably aid their recruitment goals this summer. But with the right additions Solskjaer could be on to something.
Brighton toiled and admirably kept to their passing principles, yet couldn’t lay a glove on United.
But Potter’s side shouldn’t be criticised too much for this performance — their ultimate judgement day arrives at the end of the season. United, though, were in devastating mood.
And fair play to the Seagulls, they made a fist of it after the break and caused United more problems in the opening three minutes of the second half than they did throughout the whole of the first.
But United were in destructive mood and added a third with a fine move in the 50th minute. Fernandes scored his sixth goal since arriving from Sporting Lisbon in January, completing a quick United counter-attack with a thumping back-post volley from Greenwood’s pinpoint cross.
If it wasn’t already: game over. Brighton kept plugging away;, and substitute Leandro Trossard twice going close to cutting the deficit.
But this was United’s night. And by the looks of things, Solskjaer’s men will have many more like this to follow.
BRIGHTON (4-4-2): Ryan 5.5; Montoya 5, Dunk 6 (Bernardo 81min), Duffy 6, Burn 5; Lamptey 6 (Trossard 46, 6.5), Propper 5 (Maupay 46, 6.5), Stephens 6, Bissouma 6.5; Mac Allister 5.5 (Mooy 81), Connolly 5.5 (March 87). Subs not used: Button, Schelotto, Gross, Murray. Manager: Graham Potter 6. MAN UTD (4-2-3-1): De Gea 7; Wan-Bissaka 7, Lindelof 6.5, Maguire 7.5, Shaw 7 (Williams 63, 6); Pogba 8 (Pereira 63, 6), Matic 7.5; Greenwood 8, FERNANDES 8.5 (McTominay 63, 6), Rashford 6.5 (Ighalo 77); Martial 6.5 (James 77). Subs not used: Romero, Bailly, Fred, Mata. Scorers: Greenwood 16, Fernandes 28, 50. Booked: Shaw. Manager: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 8. Referee: Andre Marriner 6.5.