Football

Man Utd vs Brighton H2H: United to face their bogey team

Man Utd will end a turbulent international break by hosting Brighton at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon. The Reds haven’t kicked a ball since their last-gasp defeat to Arsenal two weeks ago but plenty of off-field drama has continued to plague the club. Brighton will be sensing an opportunity here with kick-off pencilled in for 15:00 UK time.

man utd vs brighton h2h
Photo by Icon sport

Man Utd vs Brighton H2H: The story so far

Man Utd and Brighton have enjoyed several huge encounters over the years, including cup finals and semi-finals at Wembley Stadium. Despite that, they have only played each other on 31 occasions in history, mostly due to the lack of time of Brighton have spent in England’s top league.

  • Man Utd wins: 20
  • Draws: 5
  • Brighton wins: 6

Last season, United and Brighton played each other on three occasions due to their FA Cup Semi-final clash at Wembley. United ended up winning that match via a penalty shootout, however, they did lose both league games against the Seagulls.

In fact, the recent record between the two sides favours Brighton which will give Roberto de Zerbi a lot of confidence going into Saturday’s match in Manchester.

History in the making

If Brighton do come out on top again on Saturday, then they will have beaten United in four consecutive league matches for the first time in history. United have just scored one goal in their previous four fixtures against Brighton so will be wary of the threat that the Seagulls pose.

Man Utd vs Brighton: Last five H2H matches

England Premier League 04/05/23

Brighton

Brighton

1
Man Utd

Man Utd

0

England FA Cup 23/04/23

Brighton

Brighton

0 (6)
Man Utd

Man Utd

0 (7)

England Premier League 19/03/23

Brighton

Brighton

0
Man Utd

Man Utd

0

England Premier League 07/08/22

Man Utd

Man Utd

1
Brighton

Brighton

2

England Premier League 07/05/22

Brighton

Brighton

4
Man Utd

Man Utd

0

Brighton 1-0 Man Utd

After losing out in a penalty shootout just a few weeks earlier, Brighton had a score to settle when they welcomed Brighton to the Amex at the end of last season. In truth, United played well on the night and were unlucky not to score on a couple of occasions but a last-minute penalty from Alexis Mac Allister stole the points for the home side.

brighton beat man utd
Brighton and Hove Albion players celebrate after Alexis Mac Allister (hidden) scores their first goal from the penalty spot during the Premier League match at the AMEX Stadium, Brighton. Picture date: Thursday May 4, 2023. – Photo by Icon sport

Man Utd 0-0 Brighton

This FA Cup semi-final was far from a thriller and after 120 minutes it was goalless. Neither side had many chances to win it normal time which meant neither could have complained about the match going to a penalty shootout. After 12 perfect spot kicks, Solly March blazed his penalty over the bar which allowed Vicor Lindelof to win the tie for the Reds.

Man Utd 1-2 Brighton

The Erik Ten Hag era began with a home game against Brighton in August 2022 but things couldn’t have gone much worse. United were outplayed by Graham Potter’s Brighton and succumbed to a 2-1 defeat despite rallying late on. A few months later, Potter departed for Chelsea and Ten Hag turned United’s fortunes around.

Brighton 4-0 Man Utd

The 2021/22 Premier League season was one to forget for Man Utd fans and the 4-0 loss to Brighton at the end of the season just about summed it up. Under the temporary guidance of Ralph Rangnick, United’s fragile squad turned up to the Amex and got taught a footballing lesson. On the night, the goals came from Caicedo, Cucurella, Gross and Trossard.

Man Utd 2-0 Brighton

The last time Man Utd defeated Brighton in 90 minutes came in February 2022. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for the Reds before Bruno Fernandes rubber-stamped the victory in stoppage time. Lewis Dunk had earlier been sent off due to a cynical challenge on Fred.

Iconic moment

1983 FA Cup final

Forty years ago, Man Utd played Brighton in the FA Cup final and ran out as 4-0 winners in one of the most one-sided cup finals in history. On the day, United proved to be too much for Brighton with the goals coming from Bryan Robson (2), Norman Whiteside and Arnold Muhren.

man utd vs brighton fa cup final 1983
Bryan Robson (left) captain of Manchester United presses the head of their goal scorer Ray Wilkins during the FA Cup Final with Brighton and Hove Albion, at Wembley on 21th May 1983
Photo : PA Images / Icon Sport

Final prediction

Given the recent record between the two sides and the selection issues that Ten Hag faces, it’s difficult to predict a Man Utd win but we believe they will just about scrape a win against Brighton on Saturday afternoon. They are overdue a victory over the Seagulls and are generally a good team at Old Trafford.


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