Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Brighton: Red Devils Crash Out of Carabao Cup After Implosion

Manchester United saw their Carabao Cup dreams die on Wednesday night when Brighton & Hove Albion completed a comeback to win 3–2 at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils got off to a dream start. Goals from Shea Lacey and Mason Mount put Michael Carrick’s men up 2–0 by the 10th minute. The two took full advantage of their opportunities to give the hosts a commanding cushion early on.

Except Brighton slowly grew into the game and United looked uninterested in stopping the onslaught from the visitors. Charalampos Kostoulas pulled one back for the Seagulls on the brink of halftime, before Pascal Groß equalized in the 65th minute.

It felt like a third goal was coming from Fabian Hürzeler’s side and indeed a third goal came just four minutes later through Maxim De Cuyper. Suddenly, United were down 3–2 and even the addition of the team’s biggest stars wasn’t enough to turn the tide.

In shades of the 2025–26 season, the Red Devils saw their Carabao Cup campaign end much earlier than expected.

One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Ayden Heaven (right) had another poor night. | Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

For the fourth time in six matches this season, Carrick stood on the touchline absolutely dismayed as his defense conceded two—and then three—goals. The Red Devils let Hull City score twice in their league opener before Ipswich Town did the same just one weekend later.

Next came Everton, who also found the back of the net twice against a floundering backline. Manchester City only scored one (controversial) goal, but it came when United had an extra man. Brighton arrived at Old Trafford with the blueprint and executed a near-perfect comeback.

Carrick took a risk starting a makeshift backline of Diogo Dalot, Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven and Noussair Mazraoui—and he dearly paid the price. Dalot and Heaven were largely at fault for two of Brighton’s three goals, while Mazraoui did little to help out. Yoro is the only defender who can hold his head high, but that’s hardly something to brag about on a night when his team conceded three goals.

United desperately missed Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martínez and the injured Luke Shaw at Old Trafford, but the starters have hardly instilled confidence considering the team’s only clean sheet came againt Sabah in the Champions League.

It’s already looking like a massive mistake for United to only focus on their midfield rebuild this summer when their defense is quite literally losing them games.

Man Utd Player Ratings vs. Brighton (4-2-3-1)

Youri Tielemans — Manchester United were deserving of defeat on Wednesday. | Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Karl Darlow—5.4: Should have done better at his near post against Kostoulas and was late reacting to Groß. It must be said he had little help from his backline.

RB: Diogo Dalot—6.0: Hardly redeemed himself from last weekend’s derby performance. Hooved an unnecessarily rushed clearance right at the visitors, who equalized just seconds later. Marking nothing but space on Brighton’s third.

CB: Leny Yoro—5.8: Was solid until the team collapsed in the late stages. Greatly missed a veteran defender next to him.

CB: Ayden Heaven—6.1: Still making mistakes that cost United. Bizarrely did not even try to get close enough to thwart Kostoulas before the forward unleashed his strike that beat Darlow. Lackadaisical again on Brighton’s third.

LB: Noussair Mazraoui—6.1: Completely switched off on Kostoulas’s goal. Stared at the action in bewilderment while in a light jog, nowhere near Heaven to help out.

CM: Andrey Santos—7.3: Did his job with little fanfare and covered nearly every blade of grass. Would have liked to better stabilize the game when things started getting out of control.

CM: Youri Tielemans—7.9: Bounced back from his trials at the weekend by snagging the captain’s armband and an assist. Perhaps his most impressive contributions, though, were his perfectly-timed tackles.

RW: Shea Lacey—7.8: Took full advantage of his opportunity and bagged his first goal with the senior team. There’s undeniable magic in that left foot.

AM: Mason Mount—7.3: Desperately needed a goal and he got one. His influence largely ended there, though.

LW: Marcus Rashford—7.2: He won’t get an assist, but his shot forced the save that ricocheted right into the path of Mount. Had a glorious chance to equalize for United in the 77th minute but couldn’t get past Steele.

ST: Benjamin Šeško—6.2: Spent most of the first half taking a leisurely stroll near the halfway line while his team defended before he was dispossessed in the build-up to Brighton’s opener. At the scene of the crime again when he failed to hold up play in the build-up to the visitors’ second.

SUB: Joshua Zirkzee (66’ for Šeško)—5.8: Nowhere near up to speed with the game. Lost the ball nearly every time he had it.

SUB: Kobbie Mainoo (66’ for Santos)—6.6: Failed to stabilize the team.

SUB: Bryan Mbeumo (66’ for Lacey)—6.0: Didn’t even take a shot in his 34 minutes on the pitch.

SUB: Bruno Fernandes (73’ for Mount)—6.6: Came on too late to get United back in the driver’s seat.

SUB: Matheus Cunha (80’ for Rashford)—6.9: Couldn’t make much happen.

Subs not used: Senne Lammens (GK), Harry Maguire, Harry Amass, Tyler Fletcher.

What the Ratings Tell Us

It was a dream first start for Shea Lacey. | Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

Mason Mount got a rare start on Wednesday and scored his first goal since Dec. 2025. There was visible relief on the face of the England international, whose time at Old Trafford has been marred by injuries. His slow return to form is great news for Carrick as the manager navigates a hectic match calendar.
Likewise, Ayden Heaven was handed a big opportunity from Carrick, but he did little to improve his already lackluster stock. The center back was worrisome under pressure in the early stages and never settled in as the game unfolded. His rash decisions and delayed reactions are not up to par with the level needed to contend with Premier League opponents.
Shea Lacey quickly made United fans forget about JJ Gabriel. The 19-year-old became the first teenager to score in their first start for United since Marcus Rashford did so at age 18 against FC Midtjylland. The team’s loss takes nothing away from his impressive full debut.

The Numbers That Explain Man Utd’s Shock Collapse

United managed just a 1.04 xG against a heavily rotated Brighton side at home. Carrick brought on his heavy hitters with decent time left and yet his side still only created one big chance.
The hosts were careless with the ball, only tallying a passing accuracy of 83%. It was two turnovers that lead to Brighton’s first two goals.
They were lucky Brighton did not score more than three goals, considering the Seagulls mustered 18 shots and created five big chances.

Statistic	Man Utd	Brighton
Possession	50%	50%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.04	2.15
Total Shots	12	18
Shots on Target	4	5
Big Chances	1	5
Pass Accuracy	83%	83%
Fouls Committed	5	14
Corners	4	3

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