Man United lose to Brighton from 2-0 up to end 50-year record

Manchester United endured a heartbreaking defeat at Old Trafford as Brighton fought back from two goals down to advance to the next round of the Carabao Cup. United manager Michael Carrick had to bring on captain Bruno Fernandes 18 minutes from time in a last-ditch effort to salvage the match after his side conceded twice in quick succession.

This marked the first time United had led at home by a two-goal margin and lost since they were defeated 3-2 by Tottenham in 1976. Brighton's jubilant fans celebrated in the corner of Old Trafford, while the home supporters booed their team off at the final whistle. The loss proved to be the worst possible outcome for United and Carrick, who were already dealing with a shocking Manchester derby defeat and the revelation that 15-year-old academy star JJ Gabriel intended to quit the club.

United opened the scoring through Mason Mount, who capitalized on a blocked Mason Rashford effort. However, Charalampos Kostoulas equalized just before halftime, and Brighton's Pascal Gross leveled the score in the second half. Four minutes later, Brighton's substitute Maxim de Cuyper scored the equalizer. Despite Jason Steele's heroic effort to deny Marcus Rashford an equalizer, United relied on Darlow denying Diego Gomez a fourth goal. This marked the third successive domestic cup loss for Manchester United.