Manchester, Sep 17 (V7N)- Manchester United suffered a stunning 3-2 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford in the third round of the Carabao Cup, surrendering a two-goal lead and exiting the competition in dramatic fashion.
The defeat marked the first time in 50 years that United had lost a home match after leading by two goals. The previous occasion came in September 1976, when Tottenham Hotspur also came from 2-0 down to beat United 3-2.
United made a flying start on Wednesday (September 17). Young forward Shea Lacey opened the scoring in the eighth minute before Mason Mount doubled the hosts' advantage just two minutes later with a composed finish.
Brighton, however, began their comeback before halftime. Charalampos Kostoulas pulled one back in first-half stoppage time to send the visitors into the break trailing 2-1.
The visitors then completed the turnaround with two goals in a four-minute spell after the restart. Pascal Groß equalized in the 65th minute before Maxim De Cuyper put Brighton ahead in the 69th minute.
United were unable to find an equalizer during the closing stages, as Brighton held on for a memorable victory and secured their place in the last 16. Frustrated home supporters expressed their anger after the final whistle.
United head coach Michael Carrick accepted responsibility for the defeat after the match.
"As a team, we cannot accept this result. I take full responsibility for it. The disastrous performance the team displayed late in the second half is entirely on me," Carrick said.
The result adds to a difficult period for United following a controversial 1-0 defeat against Manchester City in the Premier League last week. The club are currently 13th in the league after winning only one of their first four matches.
United's struggles in domestic cup competitions have also continued. Last season, they were eliminated on penalties by Grimsby, while Brighton defeated them 2-1 in the FA Cup in January.
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