With their hopes pinned on a second South Coast team at Old Trafford in the space of one week, Manchester United will play host to Brighton & Hove Albion in this Sunday afternoon’s Premier League match.
Manchester United required a boost of Ivorian in their 3-1 Thursday come-from-behind victory over Southampton, while Brighton and Hove Albion had a more comfortable 2-0 win on the road at Ipswich Town.
To justify the hierarchy’s decision to offer him another attractive contract the wunderkind Amad Diallo came back again to rescue Man United from sweet bear during the match against the tenacious bottom placer Southampton in the Theatre of Dreams by the virtue of a Manuel Ugarte’s own goal that looked like taking the settee holder to a stupendous victory in the last ten minutes.
Saints would have been fully right to claim victory on the basis of Man United’s feeble showing in the first 45 minutes, but Juric’s players counted on Diallo becoming the second youngest player in Man United to score a three goal spree in the Premiership; only Wayne Rooney is younger than he is.
Such a magnificent treble was enough to move Man United to 12th in the Premier League and now they can clinch three consecutive victories in all competitions starting with this one for the first time since the beginning of the Ruben Amorim era.
That Manchester United has not recorded three consecutive victories since February 2024 has been a recurring theme but while the team’s display against Liverpool and Arsenal was commendable, their performances against the newly promoted and hapless Southampton were for the most part agonising.
As for the second, Ugarte scored an own goal, and Amorim’s men have not recorded a clean sheet in 11 consecutive matches Are you ready for another goalless first half for the Red Devils on Sunday because 11 of Manchester United’s last 11 Premier League goals against Brighton have been scored in the second half.
Brighton did not need to withstand any such scares at Ipswich's Portman Road base on Thursday night, as Man United did it the hard way. Georginio Rutter and Kaoru Mitoma's second-half goals defeated the Tractor Boys.
The Seagulls' triumph in East Anglia marked their seventh Premier League victory of the season, something they had been without for over two months as they started a dismal eight-game losing streak in the top flight that included an incredible six draws.
Fabian Hurzeler's team's 4-0 FA Cup thrashing of Norwich City served as the impetus for their return to winning ways in the top flight. They are currently in the top half of the standings, needing just four points to catch up to Manchester City in sixth place.
Brighton, who have scored in each of their first 11 away Premier League games in 2024–25, are unbeaten in five consecutive Premier League games going into Old Trafford. They have also yet to draw a blank on rival turf this season, thanks to their recent penchant for stalemates.
Brighton has also made defeating the Red Devils a favorite pastime. In August, they defeated Erik's Man United 2-1 to beat the hosts five times in a row, including back-to-back triumphs at Old Trafford in 2022–2023 and 2023–2024.
Amorim will undoubtedly get one selection boost for Sunday's trip to Brighton, where hat-trick hero Diallo may potentially play farther forward as Diogo Dalot returns from suspension following his red card in the FA Cup victory over Arsenal.
Another full-back Although Luke Shaw may just be a few weeks away from making a comeback due to a calf injury, the Englishman will undoubtedly miss this game along with Victr Lindelof, Jonny Evans, and Mason Mount.
Ew. Amorim's confidence in Man United's starting lineup was validated on Thursday, therefore there should be significant replacements in the Red Devils' next rotation. Christian Eriksen and Joshua Zirkzee were praised for their excellent performances against Southampton while coming off the bench.
The treatment room is still fully supplied, but Hurzeler had no fewer than four fillips for the drive to Ipswich, where Rutter, Tariq Lamptey, Joao Pedro, and Yankuba Minteh all overcame obstacles to make themselves available.
In addition, former Manchester United forward Danny Welbeck made his first Premier League game since early December during the thrashing of Ipswich. If Hurzeler chooses to be cautious with Pedro, the six-goal striker may be a contender to take his position.
