Cristiano Ronaldo's goal drought came to an end and so did Manchester United's winless run after a 2-0 win over Brighton on Tuesday night at Old Trafford.
Man United gave some nervy moments to their fans even after Brighton went down to 10 men after a 53rd minute red card, but a Bruno Fernandes breakaway goal in second-half stoppage time sealed the Red Devils' first league victory since Jan. 22.
Ralf Rangnick's men leapfrog West Ham into fourth place with the win, a position which will award a berth in the UEFA Champions League at season's end.
Cristiano Ronaldo looked sharper than he had at any point in his six-match goal-less streak and he was rewarded for his efforts with a goal in the second half. Man United forced a turnover with the ball falling to Ronaldo, who was merciless with his blistering finish to set United on its way.
After a typically enterprising first half, Brighton went down a goal and down a man in the span of two second-half minutes when Lewis Dunk was sent off for denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, hauling down Anthony Elanga, who was breaking through on goal.
Thanks to a handful of subs and Man United's inability to score a second, Brighton always felt like they were still on the cusp of getting an equalizer. The Seagulls struck the woodwork in the 78th minute through Jacub Moder, who was denied on two other first-half chances by Man United 'keeper David De Gea.
Man United (4th, 43 points) are back in action on Sunday at Leeds, while Brighton (9th, 33 points) return home to host last-place Burnley.
Manchester United vs. Brighton final score
| 1H | 2H | Final | |
| Man United | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Brighton | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goals:
MUN — Cristiano Ronaldo — 51st min.
MUN — Bruno Fernandes — 96th+ min.
(All times Eastern)
Final: Manchester United 2, Brighton 0
96th min.: And Bruno Fernandes seals the deal. He takes it all the way himself even with Cristiano Ronaldo by his side. And moments later the final whistle comes.
90th min.: Six minutes of stoppage time.
80th min.: SUBS — Marcus Rashford and Alex Telles are in for Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga. Ralf Rangnick isn't fooling around here.
78th min.: Moder shot off the crossbar! Brighton came close? This game still hangs in the balance. Moder will be ruing his bad luck in this game.
76th min.: Open header for Ronaldo! But he sends it just wide from inside the six-yard box. This has definitely been the redemption match for him despite the missed chances. He's looked sharp.
75th min.: It's now all Man United. Paul Pogba is in the game (for Fred) and he'll bring more quality ideas to the attack. But Man United need a second goal to put Brighton away.
72nd min.: Another big chance for Man United! Big mistake from the goalkeeper who gifts Ronaldo the ball. And instead of taking it, he feeds Bruno Fernandes who fires it right at the 'keeper.
70th min.: SUB — Danny Welbeck is on for Neal Maupay. Another attacking sub for Graham Potter.
66th min.: What a chance for Ronaldo! He soars to meet a Bruno Fernandes delivery and forces a leaping save from Robert Sanchez. Ten-man Brighton are lucky to still be in this game.
60th min.: SUBS — Steven Alzate and Tariq Lamptey are on (for Trossard and Gross). Some fresh legs as 10-man Brighton attempt a comeback. You wouldn't put it entirely past them.
53rd min.: RED CARD — Moments later Lewis Dunk takes down Anthony Elanga, who intercepted the ball and was heading on goal. The referee shows Dunk the yellow, but after reviewing the video he shows the red card.
51st min.: Goal Manchester United! The Red Devils turn the ball over, the ball winds up at the feet of Ronaldo and he knows exactly what to do, firing home with conviction. The drought is over.
46th min.: Second half is underway. No changes for either team.
Halftime: Man United 0, Brighton & Hove Albion 0
43rd min.: Anthony Elanga wins a free kick for Man United in a dangerous spot. Fred, Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes are all on the ball on the edge of the box, slightly off to the right. Ronaldo's shot goes off the wall.
39th min.: What a save by David De Gea! Moder again! De Gea goes full stretch to stop his header. That was a simple cross and header execution by Brighton. The Seagulls look like they can score any time they're around the box.
35th min.: The match has hit a bit of a stale stretch, but Brighton is not being troubled. Another tough day at the office for Man United (at home, no less).
"We forgot that you were here," sing the Brighton supporters to the home fans.#munbha #bhafc
— RichieMills (@RichieMills2) February 15, 2022
25th min.: This game has fallen into a pattern with Brighton holding prolonged spells of possession. Once Man United wins the ball back, it wants to get to the Brighton box in 2-3 passes max. We'll see which team approach is going to work.
15th min.: Brighton very comfortable in possession, but Man United dangerous in transition and they almost got another look via Jadon Sancho. But Brighton's Marc Cucurella applied the expert shoulder bump to nudge him off the ball in the box.
6th min.: And now a chance for United! Cristiano Ronaldo wins the ball after a Webster mistake and he delivers a delightful backheel pass to Jadon Sancho whose shot is stopped. Nice flow to these opening minutes.
Fotmob giving 0.44 xG to that Sancho chance, it begins...
— Aaron Moniz (@amonizfootball) February 15, 2022
5th min.: Brighton starts strong and Man United's David De Gea has already had to make a save on a point-blank shot by Jakub Moder.
1st min.: We're off. This is a fascinating matchup. Brighton has never won at Old Trafford.
2:45 p.m.: Late change in the United lineup due to illness striking Raphael Varane.
Raphael Varane has pulled out of tonight’s starting line-up due to illness.
Victor Lindelof will replace him in the starting XI, and Tom Heaton will be the addition to our bench. #MUFC | #MUNBHA https://t.co/H48qHeM4LC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 15, 2022
2:40 p.m.: Who had Graham Potter coming to Cristiano Ronaldo's defense ahead of the match?
"You run out of superlatives in terms of what he's achieved in his career" đ
Graham Potter has praised Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Brighton's trip to Old Trafford this evening. pic.twitter.com/CK2fc6QTtU
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 15, 2022
Manchester United vs. Brighton lineups
Rangnick makes two changes to the starting lineup that faced Southampton with Anthony Elanga and Fred returning to the XI in place of Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba, respectively. Eric Bailly (ankle) and Nemanja Matic (shin) are out injured.
Raphael Varane did not feel right during warmups and was replaced in central defense by Victor Lindelof.
Manchester United starting lineup (4-2-3-1, left to right): 1-David De Gea (GK) — 23-Luke Shaw, 5-Harry Maguire (capt.), 2-Victor Lindelof, 20-Diogo Dalot — 17-Fred, 39-Scott McTominay — 36-Anthony Elanga, 18-Bruno Fernandes, 25-Jadon Sancho — 7-Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester United subs (8): 26-Dean Henderson (GK), 27-Alex Telles, 29-Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 4-Phil Jones, 14-Jesse Lingard, 6-Paul Pogba, 8-Juan Mata, 10-Marcus Rashford
Potter tweaks his starting formation compared to the one that beat Watford over the weekend. Adam Lallana, Tariq Lamptey and Danny Welbeck get a breather with Alexis Mac Allister, Yves Bissouma and Leandro Trossard replacing them.
Brighton starting lineup (4-4-2, left to right): 1-Robert Sanchez (GK) — 3-Marc Cucurella, 4-Adam Webster, 5-Lewis Dunk (capt.), 34-Joel Veltman — 10-Alexis Mac Allister, 8-Yves Bissouma, 15-Jakub Moder, 13-Pascal Gross — 9-Neal Maupay, 11-Leandro Trossard
Brighton subs (9): 23-Jason Steele (GK), 2-Tariq Lamptey, 24-Shane Duffy, 17-Steven Alzate, 20-Solly March, 25-Moises Caicedo, 14-Adam Lallana, 18-Danny Welbeck, 58-Evan Ferguson
MORE: Where Ronaldo and Maupay rank in EPL scoring table
How to watch Manchester United vs. Brighton
- Date: Tues, Feb. 15
- Time: 3:15 p.m. ET
- USA & Canada TV channel: None
- USA streaming: Peacock
- Canada streaming: DAZN
Tuesday's match is exclusively available on NBC's streaming platform, Peacock, in the United States.
The Premier League in Canada is available exclusively live and on demand via DAZN.
Manchester United vs. Brighton live score, updates, highlights from Premier League Tuesday match - Sporting News
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