10 hours ago
1
3 goals, 1 assist
©IMAGO
Manchester United have been forced to wait a while for their €225.7million front three to get firing. But at long last, things are clicking into place for Rúben Amorim after witnessing his side beat Brighton 4-2 at Old Trafford. An early goal from Matheus Cunha put the Red Devils in front and the relief was palpable on the Brazilian's face, having failed to score in his first eight matches. United went two ahead thanks to a slice of good fortune, as Casemiro's pot-shot deflected in off Yasin Ayari. Benjamin Šeško then set up Bryan Mbeumo for their third in the second half and that appeared to be enough to see off the Seagulls.
However, Fabian Hürzeler's side rallied in the final half an hour, with former United man Danny Welbeck grabbing one back on 74 minutes. Teenage striker Charalampos Kostoulas, 18, headed home from a corner in stoppage time to ensure a grandstand finish. And despite some nerves, Mbeumo made sure of the points with an emphatic finish to wrap up the points. Amorim wore a huge grin on his face after watching the Cameroonian put the game beyond doubt, and the Portuguese tactician would have been delighted to see his frontline firing on all cylinders.
Mbeumo grabbed a brace, Cunha opened his account and Sesko contributed an assist. With four goals, three points and now three straight wins in the Premier League, United are up to fourth in the table and there are signs they are starting to piece together some momentum. It was only a matter of weeks ago that Amorim's position appeared to be under serious threat, and the 40-year-old insisted he would continue going about his work in the same fashion. Critics questioned his stubbornness at the time, but United's players appear to be adjusting to the 3-4-3 setup with every week. Moreover, captain Bruno Fernandes has been freed to play in a more advanced role and looks energised by the fact that Mbeumo, Cunha and Šeško are all finding ways to lighten the burden on the playmaker.
The Red Devils invested heavily to improve their strikeforce after Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee managed just six goals between them in the 2024/25 season. Indeed, without Fernandes and Amad Diallo's efforts in the first half of the season, they may well have finished lower than their final position of 15th - their worst in the Premier League era. Mbeumo, a proven finisher after firing 20 for Brentford last term, cost €75m and now has five for the season. Cunha's performances have been generally impressive but the €74.2m striker lacked goals until breaking his duck against Brighton. Šeško, a €76.5m signing from RB Leipzig, has found the going tougher with two goals in total. But the Slovenian's pass into Mbeumo proves he is not just about finding the back of the net, as United's No. 30 brought team-mates into the game.
This result was arguably just as important as their impressive 2-1 win over Liverpool last time out, as statistics show a pattern of United's struggles against teams in and around mid-table. But with tangible progress in their results and the league standings - five more than at this stage last season under Erik ten Hag - Amorim now has some breathing room to put together a run of results to demonstrate exactly why United hired him from Sporting CP. The big test is still ahead of them, with three out of their next four games on the road, and Amorim has typically struggled with away fixtures during his 11-month reign in Manchester. Now more than ever, he needs his star trio to continue their fine work in the final third.
