Photo via Sky Sports

Man Utd collapse from 2-0 up to exit Carabao Cup to Brighton

Manchester United were eliminated in their opening Carabao Cup fixture for the second consecutive campaign, squandering an early advantage to suffer a 3-2 defeat against Brighton. Michael Carrick's team established a swift two-goal cushion within ten minutes, courtesy of teenage debutant Shea Lacey's opener and a quick follow-up strike from Mason Mount following Jason Steele's stop against Marcus Rashford.

That blistering start marked uncharted territory in modern club history, representing the first occasion in half a century that the Red Devils dropped a match after building a two-goal cushion at home, having triumphed in 143 of the preceding 145 fixtures from that position.

However, the hosts failed to register another attempt on target until the 76th minute, allowing a rotated visiting lineup featuring six adjustments to launch a dramatic turnaround. Charalampos Kostoulas punished Karl Darlow's misjudgment to halve the deficit just before the interval, before Pascal Gross and replacement Maxim De Cuyper netted inside a four-minute window midway through the second half to turn the contest around.

Even with Bruno Fernandes introduced off the bench, a squandered one-on-one opportunity by Rashford sealed United's fate, prompting loud jeers and angry chants from the disgruntled home supporters at the final whistle.