Manchester United 2-1 Brighton and Hove Albion: Three Things We Learned

Manchester United enhanced their chances of finishing in the top four of the Premier League table this season with a 2-1 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Sunday evening.

Brighton, who are battling to avoid relegation to the Championship at the end of the season, took a surprise lead in the 13th minute when Danny Welbeck found the back of the net.

Marcus Rashford restored parity in the 62nd minute, and with seven minutes of normal time remaining, Mason Greenwood scored the winner.

The win against the Seagulls at Old Trafford means that United are second in the Premier League table at the moment with 60 points from 30 matches, 14 points behind leaders and city rivals Manchester City, who have played 31 games.

United are unlikely to win the title this season, but the Red Devils seems certain to finish in the top four, with Betfair rating their chances of doing so at 1/50.

This is what we learned from United’s win against Brighton on Sunday evening:

Marcus Rashford can score

Much is made about Marcus Rashford not scoring enough goals. The England international is a striker, and although the 23-year-old has often been deployed out wide, one criticism levelled against him is that he does not score enough. On Sunday evening, Rashford found the back of the net to take his tally to 10 goals in the Premier League this season. The youngster also scored six goals in the Champions League and has one in the Europa League.

Donny van de Beek should seriously think about leaving

Donny van de Beek has has a tough time at United so far this season and is now a squad player. Brighton are not a great team and could end up in the Championship at the end of the season, but even against the Seagulls, the 23-year-old Netherlands international midfielder could not start. The former Ajax star should seriously consider his future now.

There’s fight left in Brighton and Hove Albion

Brighton are six points above the relegation zone and remain in real danger of going down. However, Graham Potter’s side showed against United that they still have enough fight to escape the dreaded drop. The Seagulls do play decent football, and they can also add in steel and combativeness.