Brighton 2-3 Manchester United: 5 players who impressed for the Red Devils| Premier League 2020-21

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester United - Premier League
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester United - Premier League

#3 Luke Shaw

Luke Shaw performed well against the Seagulls.
Luke Shaw performed well against the Seagulls.

Luke Shaw had been brilliant last season, but he was far from his best in the opening-day drubbing at the hands of Crystal Palace.

After watching Brandon Williams put in an assured performance in midweek and with the shadow of Alex Telles hanging above his head, the Englishman knew he had little room for complacency. And against Brighton, Shaw put in a shift that helped Manchester United seal all three points.

The Englishman was not back to his best yet, but he showed the intent and desire while going forward that caused quite a few problems for the home side. The Seagulls struggled to contain his forward runs and did not get too much joy attacking through his side of the field either.

Shaw was composed at the back and complemented Rashford very well in attack, ultimately helping Manchester United win the game.

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#2 Marcus Rashford

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester United - Premier League
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester United - Premier League

Marcus Rashford has lost a bit of his goal-scoring zeal since recovering from the back injury he picked up in January this year.

The Englishman was poor against Crystal Palace, but in midweek, he looked lively off the bench. He even scored his first goal of the season against the Hatters, declaring his intentions to one and all. Solskjaer promptly reinstated Rashford into the Manchester United first-XI against the Seagulls, with the young striker justifying his manager's decision.

The Englishman did not look the sharpest in the first half but turned over a leaf after the break. He ran the channels well, showed quick movement in the box and even had a goal disallowed for offside by the smallest of margins.

However, Rashford continued to strive, and his tenacity was rewarded in the 55th minute. The Englishman followed a Bruno Fernandes pass, ran half the length of the field, toyed with the entire Seagull defence and smashed the ball into the back of the net to give Manchester United the lead.

It was a landmark 10,000th goal in the club's illustrious history, as Rashford wrote his name into Manchester United's history book.

Even though the hosts would go on to equalise, it was a goal that gave Manchester United the lift and belief needed to eventually win the game.


#1 Bruno Fernandes

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester United - Premier League
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester United - Premier League

When Bruno Fernandes joined Manchester United in January, the Red Devils were in troubled waters.

The Portuguese transformed Solskjaer’s side with his Midas touch and inspired the team to an impressive third position in the league table.

Fernandes was expected to continue where he left off this season, but he turned up with only one leg against Crystal Palace. However, the Portuguese gave a timely reminder of his class in the eye-catching cameo off the bench against Luton Town in midweek, picking up his first assist of the season.

Yet he had the worst possible start against the Seagulls, giving away a penalty after a rather poor first 40 minutes of the game. But the defining quality of every great player is the ability to rise above adversities, and that one mistake helped the Portuguese break out of his shell.

Bruno Fernandes ran around like a man possessed after Manchester United went behind, and three minutes later, he whipped in a free-kick that led to the equaliser for the visitors. After the break, he brilliantly set up Rashford with a long ball from the edge of the Manchester United penalty area. But his greatest moment in the match came after his team were awarded a penalty in the dying moments of the game.

With the weight of the entire world on his shoulders, the Portuguese stepped up to take the spot-kick but was as cool as a cucumber. He could have been walking in the park. Fernandes sent Mathew Ryan the wrong way and secured all three points for his team. In the process, Bruno Fernandes also showed that he remains Manchester United’s most important player.

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