Manchester United suffered another setback under Michael Carrick on Wednesday, surrendering a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford and exit the Carabao Cup in the third round for the second consecutive season.
United appeared in complete control after teenage forward Shea Lacey put them ahead in the eighth minute before Mason Mount doubled the advantage two minutes later.
However, the hosts failed to build on their early dominance, registering just one more shot on target before the 76th minute as Brighton fought their way back into the contest.
Charalampos Kostoulas pulled one back in first-half stoppage time, before Pascal Gross equalised in the 65th minute. Maxim De Cuyper completed Brighton’s comeback four minutes later, leaving United fans booing at the final whistle.
The defeat marked the first time in 50 years that United had lost at Old Trafford after taking a 2-0 lead. The previous occasion came in September 1976, when Tottenham Hotspur also won 3-2.
United had previously won 143 of the 145 matches in which they had established a two-goal lead at home.
Brighton’s victory was their fifth in their last six visits to Old Trafford, despite Fabian Hürzeler making six changes to his starting XI for the cup tie.
“We can’t accept that as a group. I take responsibility for it. The performance towards the end of the second half, that’s on me,” Carrick told Sky Sports.
The result extended a difficult run for United, who were beaten 1-0 by Manchester City in the Premier League last weekend and currently sit 13th with one league win from four games.
It was also United’s third successive domestic cup defeat, following last season’s League Cup second-round penalty loss to fourth-tier Grimsby Town and a 2-1 home defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup third round in January.
Last season was the first since 1981-82 in which United failed to win a round in either domestic cup competition.
Carrick’s side have recorded victories only against Ipswich in the league and Sabah in the Champions League this season.
Asked if he was under pressure, Carrick said: “Under pressure? That doesn’t bother me one bit.”
Available next action: Create a downloadable PDF file here in this chat containing the finalized decisions and immediate actions above
