Joao Pedro’s last-gasp winner against Manchester United on August 24th was a show-stopping moment at the Amex Stadium and provided new boss Fabian Hürzeler with the first major scalp of his Albion tenure.
For Seagulls supporters, however, it was a case of familiar feelings. Victories over United have become run-of-the-mill events on the south coast and its testament to the explosion in growth the club has enjoyed over the past decade that Brighton are now officially the Red Devils’ biggest bogey team.
The figure credited with Brighton’s rapid rise, Tony Bloom, made his fortune as a professional gambler, punting on sports, playing poker and surfing online slots with the best casinos in the UK, and it seems almost ironic now, that backing Albion to beat United has become a safe bet.
Since the club’s promotion back in 2017, Brighton have beaten Manchester United a magnificent seven times in all competitions and with last weekend’s latest triumph over the Mancunians providing inspiration, we’ve taken a look at Albion’s top five victories in the fixture below.
Brighton 1-0 Man Utd (May 4th, 2018)
Brighton had already played at Old Trafford twice in the 2017/18 season, losing on each occasion (Premier League & FA Cup), before hosting the Manchester giants in Albion’s final home game of the campaign.
The Seagulls had gone seven games without a win before the contest, though a famous 57th-minute strike from Pascal Groß allowed Brighton to collect three points in a significant triumph that secured the club’s top-flight status for another year.
Brighton 3-2 Man Utd (Aug 19th 2018)
Just three months later, Brighton were at it again, though they performed with much greater authority on this occasion to put an early dent in United’s top-four aspirations.
Albion roared into a three-goal first-half lead thanks to efforts from Glenn Murray, Shane Duffy and German cult hero Pascal Groß, and Brighton held firm after the interval to beat the Red Devils for the second time on the spin.
Brighton 4-0 Man Utd (May 7th, 2022)
Fast forward four years and a firmly established Brighton put United to the sword in spectacular fashion in front of a record crowd of 31,637 spectators at the Amex Stadium.
The emphatic scoreline didn’t flatter an electric Albion, who took full advantage of a listless United team caught between eras in temporary manager Ralph Rangnick’s penultimate match in charge.
An early Moises Caicedo grasscutter from distance set Brighton on their way before second-half strikes from Marc Cucurella, that man Pascal Groß again and Leandro Trossard had the hosts well out in front by the hour mark to a chorus of “olés” from the stands.
Man Utd 1-2 Brighton (August 7th, 2022)
Most observers had expected Graham Potter’s Brighton to be unwilling participants in new era celebration party for United under Erik ten Hag, though the slick Seagulls had other ideas and convincingly outplayed their hosts.
Again, Pascal Groß was central to Albion’s success and the German put the finishing touch to two expertly manufactured chances in the first half to build a two-goal buffer for the visitors before the break.
An Alexis Mac Allister own goal complicated the issue in the second half, though Brighton showed mettle and saw out the game to record a win at Old Trafford for the first time in the club’s history.
Man Utd 1-3 Brighton (September 16th, 2023)
Robert De Zerbi led Brighton into battle at Old Trafford in September last year, though the change in the dugout had little effect on the pattern of results between the teams and Albion beat United for the fourth time on the trot.
Goals from ex-United academy starlet Danny Welbeck, Joao Pedro and, predictably, Pascal Groß, did the damage this time in yet another resounding 3-1 success.
The margin of victory might have been wider had the visitors made better use of a flurry of late opportunities, not that the contingent of thrilled Brighton fans cared a whole lot during what was another “pinch me” occasion for Seagulls followers.
