There was a time when talk of winning three in a row at Old Trafford referred to the hat-trick of league titles Sir Alex Ferguson secured in successive seasons, whether between 1999 and 2001 or 2007 and 2009. Ruben Amorim’s three consecutive Premier League wins amount to matches, not trophies. But for a manager who waited 11 months for back-to-back victories, this is progress nonetheless.
So, too, a league table that, however fleetingly, showed Manchester United in fourth. For a club who have spent almost all of the last year in the lower half of the standings, it made a welcome change. And if the last 20 minutes, when United threatened to give up a three-goal lead and a position of utter dominance, was scarcely proof they will remain in the upper echelons, there should be genuine encouragement from both the display of the team and the identity of the United scorers.
Amorim said he drew more satisfaction than from beating Liverpool because it was a more complete performance. For the first time, the Portuguese saw two of his recruits strike in the same game. For good measure, a third, Benjamin Sesko, recorded an assist. For Bryan Mbeumo, a first brace of his United career felt like confirmation that he has settled in well. For Matheus Cunha, a first goal may have been more significant. His wait to get off the mark will not stretch into Garry Birtles or Diego Forlan territory.
On days like this, Amorim’s £200m overhaul of his attack threatens to be a success. “The money was well invested,” said Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler. United’s recruitment has not always attracted such compliments, but Amorim’s spending spree has given them more speed and verve in the final third. This is a team better suited to pressing, too, which can enable them to play on the front foot. There are finally signs of what Amorim is trying to do.
And, finally, United beat Brighton at Old Trafford. The previous time they did, Ralf Rangnick was in charge. Since then, United had lost three times to three different Albion managers. This time, Hurzeler rued “easy mistakes”. He explained. “When you give four presents, you can’t win a game.”
But a team who finished eighth last season may also be a marker of United’s prospects. The starting 11 passed the test; the substitutes may not have done, with Kobbie Mainoo and Patrick Dorgu struggling as United afforded Brighton a lifeline. Ragged for much of the middle part of the match, the visitors rallied at the end. Or after Casemiro went off, anyway, which was a sign of his impact.
The veteran had an assist and a goal to show for his first half, even if the former owed more to the scorer and the latter came laced with fortune. But he was the provider for a goal made in Brazil as Cunha curled in an effort from 19 yards. Long-range shooting is a feature of his game – few are likelier to have a go from outside the box – and the Brazilian had drawn a fine save from Bart Verbruggen minutes earlier.
Cunha had excelled at Anfield and impressed on his debut against Arsenal. There had been a lull in between and a wait for his first goal had extended into his ninth appearance but it was a stylish way for the £62.5m man to open his account. “My first goal here at Old Trafford, I dreamed a lot of this,” he said. He had dreamed, but also worried. “He was struggling about not scoring goals. He can try to hide [it],” said Amorim. Now his struggle is over.
Casemiro’s, too. His has been a mixed time at Old Trafford but he is a fan favourite again and his name was sung by the Stretford End even before his shot took a huge deflection off Yasin Ayari’s back.
Fresh from a goal at Anfield, the irrepressible Mbeumo added another at Old Trafford. It came from a combination of new signings, after a pass from Sesko, but with complaints from Brighton, who thought Georginio Rutter was fouled. United could argue Amad Diallo ought to have earned a first-half penalty, after Maxim de Cuyper’s challenge.
There were more contentious decisions. Hurzeler was unhappy Patrick Dorgu, just on and United’s last defender, was only cautioned for tugging back Yankuba Minteh. Danny Welbeck exacted a different form of punishment, curling a free kick past Senne Lammens for his fifth goal in four games.
Brighton had conceded a minute after Hurzeler made a triple change, but in the bigger picture, the replacements made Albion stronger and United weaker. They brought Brighton closer. Charalampos Kostoulos headed in James Milner’s corner for his first Brighton goal. As two substitutes combined, the scorer was 18, the provider 39. The blend of new and older left United reeling.
“We had to suffer a bit at the end but we wouldn’t be Manchester United without suffering a little bit,” said Amorim. He could smile because Mbeumo had lashed in a shot off the underside of the bar. For only the second time, United had four goals in a league game under Amorim. For the first time, they had won three in a row.
