Preview: Manchester Utd vs Brighton
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim might have clinched his initial set of consecutive domestic victories, but situations were far from ideal in their 3-1 triumph over Southampton on Thursday evening. Amorim admitted his squad’s performance was “not fantastic” as they trailed until the 82nd minute before a brilliant hat-trick from Amad Diallo seized victory from the brink of defeat, halting a three-match losing streak at Old Trafford in the process.
South coast rivals are in town once more on Sunday, but encounters with Brighton have ended in frustration more often than not in recent seasons. United have suffered five of the last six league H2Hs (W1) – including both clashes at Old Trafford therein – putting them at risk of dropping three consecutive home matches against a single opponent for only the third time in their Premier League history!
Both earlier instances occurred against Manchester City, but Brighton will be hopeful of adding their name to that roster after overcoming Ipswich 2-0 on Thursday evening. That win ended an eight-match winless run in the Premier League that dated back to November (D6, L2), propelling the Seagulls into the upper half of the standings and within reach of the European spots.
Fabian Hürzeler’s squad will be pleased with another visit here as they’ve gathered 16 of their 31 points this term on the road, avoiding defeat in each of their last four away league fixtures (W1, D3). Curiously, this will be the sixth occasion they face United while placed above them in the standings, so the traveling supporters will be full of optimism they can improve on their 47% win rate against the Red Devils in the Premier League – no club in the competition’s history has bettered that.
Players to monitor: United haven’t scored prior to half-time in any of the last eight Premier League H2Hs, but that benefits midweek hat-trick hero Amad as each of his nine goals this term have come after the break. Former Red Devil Danny Welbeck has found the net six times against his old team, and after scoring the opener in the reverse fixture (W 2-1), he’s aiming to become only the second Brighton player to score both home and away against United in the same season.
Hot streak: None of the 15 Premier League H2Hs between these teams have concluded level (MU: W8, L7) – only Manchester United v Wigan has been contested more frequently in the competition without a draw (16).