Brighton stun Manchester United with 3-2 comeback at Old Trafford

Michael Carrick has urged his Manchester United players to respond to mounting pressure after Brighton came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Old Trafford and knock them out of the EFL Cup.

United looked set for a comfortable victory when Shea Lacey and Mason Mount scored inside the opening 10 minutes. However, Charalampos Kostoulas, Pascal Gross and Maxim De Cuyper completed a remarkable Brighton turnaround.

The result was United’s third defeat in six matches in all competitions this season, coming only days after their controversial 1-0 Premier League loss to Manchester City.

It was also the first time in 50 years that United had lost a home game after taking a 2-0 lead.

Carrick said his players must learn to cope with the scrutiny surrounding the club.

“We all know it’s there,” he said. “How you deal with that is the important thing.”

He added: “Being here toughens you up over a period of time, and it depends how you deal with it. You’ve got to deal with it in a way where you can cope with it and you can bring out the best in yourself.”

Lacey gave United the perfect start after eight minutes, collecting the ball inside the Brighton area before placing a clinical shot into the bottom corner for his first senior goal for the club.

Mount made it 2-0 two minutes later. Marcus Rashford’s effort was saved by Jason Steele, but Mount reacted quickest to fire the rebound into the roof of the net.

Brighton reduced the deficit in first-half stoppage time when United failed to deal with a defensive situation and Kostoulas drove the ball beyond Karl Darlow.

The visitors carried that momentum into the second half and applied sustained pressure. Gross equalised in the 65th minute, controlling Luka Vuskovic’s header before scoring from close range.

United conceded again five minutes later. Kostoulas picked out De Cuyper inside the area and the Brighton defender calmly finished from six yards.

Carrick sent on Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha as United tried to recover, but Brighton held on to reach the fourth round.

The defeat was especially damaging because Brighton had also eliminated United from the FA Cup at Old Trafford in January.

Carrick, who guided United back into the Champions League last season during an impressive spell in charge, said he was not worried about his position.

“I don’t feel under pressure,” he said. “Either way, that doesn’t bother me one bit.”

He insisted United could recover quickly, adding: “Of course we can turn it around. We’ve got some really good players and it feels bad at the moment because we haven’t had a great week, or two or three weeks.

“But it doesn’t mean you can’t win another game of football quickly.”

United’s next opportunity comes away to Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday.

Abraham double helps Aston Villa past Coventry

Tammy Abraham scored twice as Aston Villa beat Coventry City 3-1 at the CBS Arena for only their second win of the season.

Abraham opened the scoring in the seventh minute before Victor Torp equalised with an impressive free-kick.

Ross Barkley restored Villa’s advantage with a first-half header, and Abraham added his second in the 59th minute.

Alcaraz sends Everton through

Charly Alcaraz came off the bench to decide Everton’s tie against Wolves, curling in an 80th-minute winner in a 1-0 victory.

Fleetwood Town also reached the fourth round after beating Championship club Sheffield United 1-0 to become the lowest-ranked side remaining in the competition.

Arsenal, Liverpool, Fulham and Brentford had already progressed on Tuesday by defeating Ipswich, Tottenham, West Ham and Reading respectively.