Football

Manchester United seemed to be on the rise last season as they quietly and methodically made their way to a third-place finish in the Premier League table, with interim manager Michael Carrick earning the permanent job.

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With Champions League play back on the schedule and more stability achieved, it seemed that 2026/27 could be the season United vault themselves back to the upper echelon of English giants after years spent adrift in the middle of the standings.

Instead, the start of the campaign has been a nightmare, from a dodgy Manchester derby defeat to supporter protests and other slips, United have begun to flounder once again. The latest disaster was a historic defeat to Brighton that saw them bounced from the Carabao Cup third round, coughing up a 2-0 lead and finding themselves on the wrong side of a 3-2 scoreline.

As the boos rained down, Old Trafford watched as their dejected players waltzed out of the Theatre of Dreams having let a 50-year streak fall apart in agonising fashion.

MORE: Carabao Cup fourth round draw, schedule, fixtures, and teams qualified

How Man United collapsed to lose Carabao Cup game vs. Brighton

Manchester United seemed well on their way to a multi-goal victory against Brighton on Wednesday, looking to secure a spot in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals.

Goals from Shea Lacey and Mason Mount inside the opening 10 minutes had the Red Devils flying, securing an early 2-0 lead.

From there, it all fell apart as Brighton took hold of the match. Pascal Gross, who has been excellent so far this 2026/27 season, continually threatened the United back line, collecting five chances created throughout the match.

The first goal came just before halftime as 19-year-old Charalampos Kostoulas found the back of the net to give the Seagulls life. Then it was Gross who deservingly got the equaliser on a comical second for Brighton, with a ball pinged from midfield to the feet of the German international that caught the United defence out of sorts.

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Watch Gross goal in the United States:

Pascal Groß capitalizes on Manchester United’s error and it is all level 😬

Don’t miss the Carabao Cup on @paramountplus 📺 pic.twitter.com/OUp46tM5g2

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 16, 2026

Just moments later, Brighton would complete the comeback and go in front as Maxime De Cuyper found the winner on 69 minutes. It came off a beautiful passage of play where substitute Diego Gomez raced down the right-hand flank and nutmegged Ayden Heaven, feeding it forward to Kostoulas whose cutback found the Belgian at the top of the six-yard box.

Watch De Cuyper goal in the United States:

COMEBACK COMPLETE 😱

In the space of five minutes Brighton go ahead against Manchester United through Maxim De Cuyper 🔥

Don’t miss the Carabao Cup on @paramountplus 📺 pic.twitter.com/rQhTGUkVdf

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 16, 2026

The cherry on top was a brutal Marcus Rashford miss in transition, as the Man United star got clean through on goal in the 77th minute, but struck his shot straight at Jason Steele who stood strong to make the save.

That was the closest United would get, as the Red Devils fell in historic fashion in front of a chorus of boos from their home crowd.

Loss to Brighton ends 50-year streak at Old Trafford

With this defeat, a streak of great pride for Manchester United has fallen.

Across any competition, Man United had not seen a two-goal lead at Old Trafford evaporate in a loss in 50 years, a stellar run of games now over.

The last time United suffered defeat in such a manner was in September, 1978 when United coughed up a 2-0 lead at home against Tottenham. United led by a pair at the halftime break, but second-half goals from Ralph Coates, Ian Moores, and John Pratt saw Spurs snatch the game.

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