Welbeck haunts Old Trafford as Brighton dump Man United out of FA Cup

Manchester United’s turbulent season lurched into deeper crisis as Brighton & Hove Albion produced a composed 2-1 victory at Old Trafford in the FA Cup third round, ending the hosts’ hopes of domestic silverware and extending uncertainty over the club’s direction under interim management.[1][3][4]

Brighton struck first through **Brajan Gruda** on 12 minutes, punishing United against the run of early play.[1][3][4] Former United forward **Danny Welbeck** then delivered the decisive blow midway through the second half, scoring his **eighth career goal against his boyhood club** to put the visitors 2-0 ahead and silence Old Trafford.[3][4] A late header from **Benjamin Sesko** offered brief hope for the home side, but teenager **Shea Lacey’s** red card minutes later killed United’s momentum and sealed their exit.[1][3][4][5]

United had started the night with intent, creating early openings as **Diogo Dalot** and **Bruno Fernandes** tested Brighton goalkeeper **Jason Steele** within the first 10 minutes.[1][3] But Brighton absorbed the pressure and struck clinically: Welbeck floated a cross from the left, **Georginio Rutter’s** header was cleared off the line by **Lisandro Martínez**, and Gruda reacted quickest to smash in the rebound from close range.[1][3]

The goal unsettled United, whose defensive structure looked fragile despite a back four reshaped by **Patrick Dorgu** dropping into left-back.[1] Brighton, rotated by head coach **Fabian Hürzeler** after their midweek draw at Manchester City, grew in confidence as their pressing and composure in possession frustrated the hosts.[1]

After the break, United pushed forward but left spaces that Brighton exploited. On 64 minutes, Welbeck struck again at Old Trafford: finding space in the box, he finished to double the lead and extend his remarkable scoring record against United, having now netted eight times against them since leaving the club.[3][4]

Manager-less United, with **Darren Fletcher** still in caretaker charge after the sacking of **Rúben Amorim**, threw on **Harry Maguire** and **Casemiro** in search of a response.[1][3][4] The gamble briefly paid off when Sesko met a Fernandes corner with an 85th-minute header to make it 2-1 and ignite the home crowd.[3][4][5] However, sustained pressure failed to yield an equaliser as Steele and the Brighton back line stood firm.[3][4]

Tension spilled over in the closing stages. Highly rated 18-year-old winger Shea Lacey, who had provided some attacking spark after coming off the bench, received two yellow cards in quick succession – the second for dissent – and was sent off in the 89th minute, ending United’s hopes of a late comeback.[1][3][4][5]

The defeat is statistically and symbolically significant for United. According to match data, this is the **first time in 12 years** that the club has failed to reach the FA Cup fourth round.[3] It is also the **first season since 1981–82** that United have gone out at the first hurdle in both domestic cup competitions, and they are now on course to play just **40 competitive games**, their fewest in over a century.[3]

Brighton’s victory also carried historical weight. They had been eliminated by United in all six of the clubs’ previous FA Cup meetings, but this win ended that long-standing hoodoo at the first attempt under Hürzeler.[3] For the Seagulls, it is another statement performance in a major knockout tie and a chance to push deeper into a competition they last reached the final of in 1983, when they lost to United.[2][3]

For United, the result intensifies scrutiny on the club’s leadership and short-term planning. Fletcher, who stepped in following Amorim’s dismissal after 14 underwhelming months, is widely expected to be replaced by another interim coach, but in the meantime he has stressed that **Champions League qualification** remains the key target left in the season.[2][4] With their FA Cup and League Cup bids over and no European football, United’s campaign now hinges almost entirely on rescuing a top-four league finish.

For Indian fans following the Premier League and FA Cup closely, the match encapsulated many of United’s broader issues this season: defensive lapses at key moments, an overreliance on Fernandes for creativity, and inconsistency in front of goal, offset only partially by flashes of promise from younger players like Sesko and Lacey.[1][3][4] Brighton, by contrast, showcased the clarity of their project – organised pressing, intelligent use of width, and clinical finishing from experienced figures like Welbeck complemented by emerging talents such as Gruda.[1][3]

The tie will be remembered as the night Brighton finally broke their FA Cup barrier against United, and as a low point in a season that has increasingly left Old Trafford searching for answers both on and off the pitch.