Brighton & Hove Albion secure their Premier League position as they romp up to 40 nights with a deserved win over the utterly lacklustre Manchester United. Jose Mourinho must be tearing his hair out at this Jekyll and Hyde nature of his team, I know I am.
That's all from me, Anirudh Menon. Thank you for reading.
93' Whistles ring around the Amex as United peg Brighton into their own box - there are some 18 people inside that box right now... till Smalling is caught offside. That, should be that.... Mourinho gives Hughton a warm handshake in acknowledgement of their spirt and endeavour
92' Pass, pass, cross, waste the move. Rinse and repeat. Chris Hughton brings on Leonardo Ulloa to allow Glen Murray a standing ovation and eat away at the time left
91' Martial tries to wriggle his past the attentions of three blue & white shirts but he simply can't shrug off their attentions. A smashing Smalling tackle near the half-line allows United to regather and try and break the Brighton rearguard once again...
89' Luke Shaw bombs forward down the left and pings a powerful cross right into the hands of Matt Ryan. United are getting no change whatsoever off the Aussie keeper
86' OH LINGARD! COME ON! A SUPERB CHANCE THAT! Lingard races into the box, feeds Rashford, gets a backheel in return onto his path - and Lingard toe-pokes it well off target. That really ought to have been 1-1
85' Shaw looks to do something different by dribbling past three people and zooming a pass into the middle - but finds nothing but Matt Ryan and his big hands. Ok, I'm not sure he has bigger-than-normal hands... but he's a goalkeeper. Gotto have big hands, neh?
83' Pogba has his best shot of the day from 30 yards, a powerful rasping drive that flies just over the crossbar. Meanwhile, Chris Hughton wants this win; and he takes off Pascal Gross to introduce Berem Kayal and shut the door well and truly on their visitors' faces. Athithi Devo Bhava whaaaat?
81' Martial runs into a cul-de-sac and Brighton look to feed Murray early; but that man Smalling is there to see him off. United, though, are creating little moving forward as this overhit ball to Luke Shaw indicates
80' Brighton win a free-kick, Smalling ensures it comes to nothing by winning a foul off Murray. That individual battle has provided a fascinating subplot to the game tonight
79' Rashford's determination allows him to rob Dunk off the ball near the Brighton corner flag, he feeds it to Mata - who pings one to Martial. The Frenchman chests it down and leathers one into row Z. Another SIX! Or as any of those immensely irritating IPL commentators would have it... a *insert sponsor name* maximum!
78' Only to see Paul Pogba drop his shoulder, turn and shoot the most harmless of shots tamely wide off Ryan's near post. Mourinho's face indicates a very entertaining post-match presser.
77' Knockaert zooms past a Pogba challenge, then another, before Young takes player and ball out with a thunderous challenge. From the Brighton throw in United move forward...
75' WOOOOF!! More intent! Tony Martial skips away form Duffy with the subtlest of feints before unleashing a shot that blazes just over. Mourinho throws on his POTY, Scott McTominay for Marcos Rojo. Don't even ask about the formation now - I presume Matic will drop into central defence
74' Matic intercepts a Gross ball and sets Pogba off on one of his ludicrously brilliant gallops - it's very hard to stop him when he decides it, but he doesn't decide it... tries a weird flick mid-run and gets easily robbed by Knockaert
73' Brighton still look a proper danger on the counter, though. Izquierdo torments Young before looking to tee up Stephens on the edge of the box, but Lingard's back there being a busy bee and he intercepts.
72' WOOF! Marcus Rashford is teed up by Pogba and he lets go - why not - and the powerful shot is well parried away by Matt Ryan. United are playing so, so, much better right now... Mata, Lingard, Pogba and Martial exchange cute passes on the edge of the box before Lingard smacks one of his quick no-backlift shots at goal. Ryan saves this one easily enough
71' Young's ball in looks neat, but is headed out easily... Knockaert then looks to set Murray away; but in a race of the wily veterans the man who's always been faster between the two, Young, wins out and United come again
69' Lingard's first touch is set Martial on his scooter - that's what Mourinho sent him out there for, to reintroduce one-touch football to United - and the Frenchman wins a corner.
68' Mata, who's not too shabby at this business of freekicks either takes it. And hits it for six. Chris Gayle would've been proud. Mourinho wants change - and he takes off Darmian and Fellaini for Luke Shaw and Jesse Lingard
67' So much better! United play some quick one-touch football, Rashford and Martial exchanging passes before the Frenchman flicks one onto Mata's path... the Spaniard is pulled down just outside the box and that's a United freekick in prime David Beckham territory
65' OH, IZQUIERDO! The Colombian is teed up just inside the box after some inane pinball inside the area; but his powerful shot whistles just past De Gea's right hand post
64' Pogba 'megs Propper and goes over, but the ball runs out to Martial and the ref waves play on. The Frenchman's ball is cut out, though, and Brighton immediately look for Knockaert. He sends Rojo into critical care with a sashay of his hips before racing into the box and feeding Murray - who wins a corner off Smalling
62' OH! Knockaert sends Young to fetch a cup of tea before zooming into the box, teasing and tormenting three United men before falling over and appealing for a penalty. Craig Pawson has a glance at his assistant on that far side and asks the winger to get up
61' Brighton counter! Matic loses possession try to bully his way into the box (a call for handball falling on deaf ears, rightly) and Bruno maruads into the bo; where Rojo has to be on his A-game to time a tackle to possession and take the ball away from the veteran Brighton skipper
OH MY! THIS IS NOTHING THAT BRIGHTON HAVE NOT DESERVED! Izquierdo skins Darmian down the left and lifts a teasing ball toward the far post. De Gea's fingertips keep it away from Murray, but it lands on Gross' head... the German powers a header toward goal that Rojo seems to have cleared on the goal... but a buzz on the ref's watch indicates that ball has indeed crossed the line!!
54' Bruno - marauding up the right flank - gets bullied off the ball by Young and United move forward... Martial zips down the same flank and wins a corner. Which in turn leads to another
53' OH!!!! Anthony Knockaert brushes Bruno off the ball, tells him "i've got this" and races into the United half, the red shirts scrambling back in fear... and he unleashes one that deflects off for a corner.
51' Ah! Paul Pobga pings a lovely ball out to Rashford, but Dunk's been immense so far and he isn't about to let up. The ball's then pumped back up to the United half where Izquierdo kills it dead with a lovely touch... but the Brighton move breaks down as it enters the danger zone.
49' Matic pings in Pogba with a neat ball... Mata, inexplicably takes it off his toe and confusion reigns supreme. Matic gets the ball back and finds Pogba again, but his shot from 15 yards out is too meek to trouble Ryan
47' HAH! That's woken everyone up! Murray scissors into Fellaini - the irony is tangible - and the big Belgian is writhing in pain. He certainly felt that.
45' The TV commentator has just recalled the most wonderful anecdote of watching United play Brighton here in a 1992 League Cup when a 17-year-old David Beckham made his debut, and tells us about the Brighton physio who proposed to his girlfriend at halftime on the pitch. She said no. Ouch.
Most entertaining thing, though, from tonight's action that story
43' Rashford's intial corner cleared well by Stephens... the ball falls out to Young who tries to find Fellaini at the back post (think Arsenal last weekend) but Ryan does superbly to come out and collect it. In the melee, though, Gaetan Bong seems to have hurt himself, landing awkwardly by the look of it.
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