In a showdown against his former club, Danny Welbeck struck a goal to put Brighton in the lead. However, just before halftime, Rasmus Hojlund believed he had scored his inaugural goal for Manchester United as he met Marcus Rashford’s pull-back inside the penalty area.
The joy was short-lived as VAR intervened, scrutinizing whether Rashford had carried the ball over the byline before delivering it to Hojlund. Ultimately, VAR ruled that the entire ball had crossed the line, leaving Hojlund still in search of his maiden goal since his £72 million summer transfer from Atalanta.
The misfortune continued for United as Brighton went on to secure a convincing 3-1 victory at Old Trafford. Pascal Gross concluded a brilliant move by Brighton, doubling the visitors’ lead in the 53rd minute. Brighton extended their advantage to three goals when substitute Joao Pedro directed his shot past Andre Onana. Although Onana managed to touch the effort, he couldn’t prevent it from hitting the back of the net.
Hannibal Mejbri did pull one back for United with 17 minutes remaining, but it proved insufficient to turn the tide. This loss marked Manchester United’s third defeat in their first five Premier League games of the season. Moreover, manager Erik ten Hag faced heavy booing from United supporters in the second half due to his decision to replace Hojlund with Antony Martial.