Seagulls beat Man Utd…4 goals in OT make them ‘natural enemies’
Manchester United has a new nemesis. Brighton’s Pascal Gross, 32, continued his strong form against United at Old Trafford.
Gross rattled the net in the Seagulls‘ 2023-24 English Premier League (EPL) fifth-round match against Manchester United at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, on Saturday at 11 p.m. ET. Gross’s goal gave the Seagulls three points after scoring three goals against the Red Devils.
Two teams with opposite moods at the start of the season were both aiming for victory. Coming into the game, Roberto De Zervi’s (44-Italy) Brighton were all over Erik ten Haag’s (53-Netherlands) United, who have been in turmoil of late. They dominated possession and took advantage of the home side with precise shots.
Danny Welbeck (32) opened the scoring in the 20th minute and the Seagulls briefly held on to a precarious lead as United pushed back. But eight minutes into the second half, Gross was the man to solve the problem: He brought down Lissandro Martinez (25) with a momentary trick move before slotting a right-footed shot past Andre Onana (27-plus).
According to sports statistics outlet Opta, it was Gross’s fourth EPL goal at Old Trafford. Only Steven Gerrard (43-retired) and Mohamed Salah (31-Liverpool) have scored more league goals at Old Trafford as opposition players than Gross. Gerrard and Salah have five goals apiece.
Gross is as dangerous for United at home as he is on the road; he has seven goals and two assists in 14 career games against the Red Devils. United is the 사설토토 team he has scored the most goals for in his career. Even when the team has been bouncing around the bottom half of the table, Gross has been impressive for United.
Gross’ goal gave Brighton the momentum, but Joao Pedro (21) later put the game out of reach. A goal from Hannibal Mebry (20-Man United) denied the Seagulls a clean sheet, but it was their fourth straight league win against United. In that span, Brighton dominated United, scoring 10 goals and conceding just two.