90min

Twitter Reacts to Man Utd and Brighton's Early Contender for Game of the Season

By Adam Aladay

Man Utd snatched the win against Brighton
Man Utd snatched the win against Brighton / Pool/Getty Images
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Have we all regained our breath yet?

No? Yeah, same.

Brighton thought they had snatched a deserved point when they equalised in the 95th minute against Manchester United, but the Red Devils somehow fought back to win Saturday's clash in the...100th minute! Oh, there weren't even any injuries either. And the full-time whistle was blown in the 96th.

Pure entertainment.

For United, there has been growing concerns among fans regarding the defence. In fact, the club have been linked with a number of centre-backs, as well as left-backs (notably Alex Telles), as they consider strengthening at the back.

If there were concerns over these two positions before the game, the Brighton clash didn't do much to ease fans' nerves.

Neal Maupay was bullying Victor Lindelof, never giving him a second's rest to dwell on the ball and constantly looking to get at him. Tariq Lamptey, meanwhile, was a real threat throughout the game down the right, committing Luke Shaw and flying past him before putting in dangerous crosses. And on the other side? Yep, you guessed it, Aaron Wan-Bissaka was having the same problem against Solly March.

It was a hardly an assured defensive display was it, United fans?

It may still be early in the season, but Brighton have already shown that they can go toe-to-toe with the Premier League's top clubs, playing with intensity and confidence. They started the game on the front foot, carrying the fight to Man Utd...and quite frankly, they were the much better side.

Leandro Trossard hit the post twice in the early exchanges, before the Seagulls took a deserved lead through Neal Maupay. Lamptey burst into the area before Bruno Fernanades brought him down, and a penalty was awarded.

Up stepped Maupay and in typical Maupay fashion, he went for the Panenka. Guess what? He struck it excellently. What else would you expect?

But the Red Devils fought back and equalised just before half time as Lewis Dunk turned the ball into his own net.

Harry Maguire was pressuring Dunk into the mistake, but the decision to award the goal did not sit well with a number of Seagulls fans.

After all, the United captain did go through the Brighton man...

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men made a brighter start to the second half, playing quicker and more incisively. And they were rewarded for their improvement just ten minutes into the second period.

Marcus Rashford latched onto a Fernandes pass, before charging down the left and cutting in-field. But rather than lashing at it and wasting the chance, the forward waited and continued to work an angle for himself before firing in. A stunning goal.

For a player who has been criticised by some for needing to 'focus on his football' more, that sure was a very accomplished finish. An outstanding footballer...

The Seagulls continued to push to find a late leveller, creating chance after chance. But it appeared as though it simply wasn't there day.

That was until Solly March finally took one of his chances in the 95th minute. It was nothing less than Brighton deserved as they kept pushing...

A 95th minute leveller...surely that was the end of the drama?

You couldn't be more wrong.

United immediately pushed forward as they went in search of a winner in the very little time remaining. After Brighton survived an extremely late scare from a corner, the referee blew the final whistle. But, oh yes, VAR intervened.

After much delay, Maupay was penalised for a handball while defending the corner - forcing the referee to point to the spot...after he had already blown the final whistle.

The pressure fell on Fernandes in the 100th minute of the game, the Portuguese having the chance to seal the win for his side. Was it ever in doubt? No it wasn't. He ruthlessly fired the ball into the top corner.

Some may say it's just a penalty, but United's Portuguese magnifico stepped up and delivered once again at the most vital time...

A simply enthralling encounter, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be particularly delighted as his side are now on the board for the 2020/21 Premier League season.