Manchester United completed an unwanted cup double when former striker Danny Welbeck helped Brighton send them out of the FA Cup at Old Trafford.
In front of his old boss Sir Alex Ferguson and with his former teammate Darren Fletcher as interim boss of his old club, Welbeck hammered in Brighton’s second goal to send them through to the fourth round. – It was the 35-year-old’s eighth goal against Manchester United and his sixth visit to the stadium he previously called home. Danny Welbeck left Manchester United in 2024 and before joining Brighton in 2020, he played first for Arsenal and then Watford.
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The thunderous shot into the roof of Senne Lammens’ goal doubled a lead given to Brighton by Brajan Gruda’s opening goal in the first half.
Benjamin Šeko’s header five minutes before the end breathed life into the home side, but 18-year-old home substitute Shea Lacey was sent off in the last minute and Brighton held off for their first ever FA Cup win against the 13-time winners at their seventh attempt.
For United, this defeat followed the embarrassing second-round exit of the EFL Cup against League Two side Grimsby, meaning they have crashed out of both domestic cup competitions at the earliest possible time for the first time since 1981-82.
It also means that Fletcher’s two-game tenure as interim boss contributed to a disappointing Premier League draw against Burnley and this home defeat to a season that is starting to unravel.
United have now won once in their last seven games, with title challengers Manchester City and Arsenal as their next two opponents.
In the next 48 hours, the club is expected to announce who will replace Rúben Amorim for the rest of the season, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick as favourites.
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