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Juan Mata makes the difference as Manchester United win at Brighton (again) in Carabao Cup

Juan Mata makes the difference Manchester United win at Brighton (again) in Carabao Cup - GETTY
Juan Mata makes the difference Manchester United win at Brighton (again) in Carabao Cup - GETTY

Remember Juan Mata? Sometimes it feels like the popular Spaniard, who was Manchester United’s first marquee signing after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, has become a bit of a forgotten figure but he provided a goal and an assist to help earn a place in the quarter-finals of the League Cup.

Maybe this cup competition is the 32-year-old’s domain now, maybe he might even exit United before this transfer window closes, although manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer played down that possibility after his side made heavy weather – in the fiercely driving rain – of Brighton. Mata, who captained the much-changed line-up, made that difference not just with his skill but with his attitude.

Mata’s goal was his 50th for United and only Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford have scored more since he was signed in January 2014, arriving in a helicopter amid a social media meltdown after he was sold by Chelsea, and while he may not represent the club’s future then certainly goalkeeper Dean Henderson does.

Just before Mata doubled United’s advantage the 23-year-old produced a stunning save to deny substitute Leandro Trossard who held his head in disbelief – just as he did in striking the goal-frame three times in the dramatic Premier League fixture between the teams on Saturday.

Brighton felt aggrieved in defeat then and probably did so with this result which was capped by a free-kick from substitute Paul Pogba who howled in delight and pointed to Solskjaer as the ball hit the net. Even so it took a heavy deflection off defender Joel Veltman, to wrong-foot goalkeeper Jason Steele. Brighton will feel it summed up their luck in two meetings with United in five days which have both ended in them being beaten.

If, for United, it was a good evening for Mata and Henderson who pushed his case to replace David De Gea with a second clean sheet in this competition and also – when in possession – Donny van de Beek and for Eric Bailly at the heart of the defence it was a less convincing game for Daniel James and Odion Ighalo, showing again why Solskjaer is demanding another right-sided forward player in the coming days.

James, in particular, looks completely drained of confidence and could do with a loan move away and it would be no surprise if Brighton head coach Graham Potter has used these last two games to press the case for him to be reunited with the 22-year-old winger who he brought through at Swansea City.

Potter looked furious with his team at half-time. Not with the way they had played, they had edged the first period, but with the way they conceded the opening goal. Both managers had made changes – 10 by United and nine by Brighton – and it was Mata who won a free-kick after being brought down by Dan Burn as part of a duel which represented one of the biggest height mis-matches in football (the defender is almost a foot taller).

Not that Mata cared. He picked himself up and flighted the ball in from the right with Scott McTominay allowed to step forward and simply steer a header past goalkeeper Jason Steele. The marking was poor – Bailly would have headed home had McTominay not beaten him to it – and maybe Steele should have come and collected it. Either way Potter chewed at a pen wondering what had just happened before striding down the tunnel.

Until then it had been tight. Ighalo had driven the ball into the side-netting, after rounding Steele, with the chance created by Mata while, for Brighton, Alireza Jahanbakhsh had a shot smartly parried by Henderson who reacted quickly to fall on the rebound with Alexis Macallister and Jahanbakhsh driving over when well-placed.

Paul Pogba celebrates scoring a free-kick - Reuters
Paul Pogba celebrates scoring a free-kick - Reuters

Potter switched up his formation to 4-4-2, bringing on Neal Maupay and Trossard, and Brighton began to take control. There then came the pivotal passages of play with Jayson Molumby showing great determination to win the ball and manage to send it out wide to Pascal Gross who fired in a low cross. Trossard met in on the full only for Henderson to instinctively block with an outstretched hand to turn it away for a corner.

Almost immediately United countered with Fred sliding a pass into Van de Beek who, with his back to goal, showed great awareness to flick it into Mata’s path. He took his time, steadied and swept a low shot through Lewis Dunk’s legs to beat Steele.

“He is a very clever player,” Mata later said of Van de Beek and the demands of the United fans for the Dutch midfielder – whose agent has already expressed frustration - to start league games will only grow after this. “I love playing with him because he finds pockets and spaces, he understands football in a way that I like, which is playing one-twos, passing and moving. The goal was like that. He is always in the right position.”

It also meant that Mata - who created four chances and completed 91 per cent of his passes – has been directly involved in 13 goals in last 15 starts (scored five) for United which should also give Solskjaer food for thought, surely?

Finally Pogba ended it. He stood over a free-kick on the corner of the Brighton area before curling it goalwards, striking Veltman to beat Steele and put an unexpected sheen for United on a sodden evening. Brighton had edged the possession – with 51 per cent – and had more shots but were somehow emphatically beaten.


08:46 PM

Juan Mata on Van De Beek

"Very clever assist. He's a very clever player, I love playing with him. He understands football, knows the one-twos." 


08:35 PM

FULL TIME

A very even game which swung on that Man Utd goal from a set piece. The introduction of the big names in the second half opened the match on and as soon as they scored a second there was no way back for Brighton. United into the quarter-final!


08:32 PM

90 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 3

All of sudden, despite being 3-0 up and very tall, McTominay has taken exception to something Trossard has done and has squared up to him. The Brighton player wisely decides to vacate the area. 

Rashford smashes a brilliant ball wide right to Mata, Dalot underlaps, United players get forward to join in... and Rashford is a little too clever, nutmegging a defender while trying to pass it on the 18 yard line.


08:29 PM

87 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 3

What a move by United. Brilliant football, lovely to watch, one-touch passes and great off the ball movement used in combinations to get Dalot through on goal. Mata and Van De Beek seem to 'get' each other.


08:27 PM

84 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 3

Sky Sports apologise for Dan Burn yelling at the referee in dingbats for leaving a ball to roll out for a throw, waiting for offside, realising it's not coming then running after it... and being called offside. So stupid. That rule could do with a wee update. Why are Sky Sports apologising for that? Seems rather needless.


08:23 PM

81 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 3

Lingard is on for Fred, Sanders comes on for Molumby,


08:22 PM

GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!

OH WOW! What a hit by Pogba! He's smashed that into the top corner!

A tiny deflection of the wall gives the shot just enough spin and direction to turn it into the top corner. There's no way the goalkeeper is getting there and United are 3-0 up. Brighton may as well go home now.


08:22 PM

80 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 2

Veltman has had enough of Rashford doing stepovers and threatening to run past the defence, so comes across to wipe him out. A wise decision and one worthy of the yellow card he receives. Rashford seems to be eyeing this one up as a chance to shoot. It's just inside the width of the box, left of centre. 


08:20 PM

79 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 2

Rashford is playing as the central striker with Van De Beek wide left, and Mata is tucking in quite central too. It's asking a lot of the full-backs to create width but is really working at the moment, with Brighton now unable to get close enough to win the ball. United appear to have a heap of bodies in the middle of the park too, even though it's just a fairly basic 4-3-3 setup.


08:18 PM

76 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 2

What a difference great players make. Just having Pogba and Rashford on makes all the difference - Brighton have to defend in a different way, have to worry about their opponents in a new way and United have a renewed energy. Brighton get caught playing out from the back, Mata intercepts and just can't find a teammate with a low ball across the area. It feels like United could score a couple more here. 

Dalot, who has had a fine game, turns up on the overlap on the right, looks up and hooks a cross to the penalty spot. Pogba comes fleeing in but pushes his header wide of the far post.


08:16 PM

GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!

Lovely goal. With James and Ighalo off, and a slight change to how the team plays, United find a way to score. Van De Beek threads a brilliant pass to Mata with a no-look backheel, sending Mata clean through. He just rolls the ball into the far corner with a proper finesse finish. 


08:13 PM

69 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 1

WHAT A SAVE HENDERSON! Trossard, who seems to have been inflicted with some sort of ancient curse, is once again unable to finish a big chance against Manchester United, hitting a low cross from the right with power towards the bottom corner. Henderson is positioned perfectly though and reacts to turn the ball behind. 

Rashford and Pogba have now come on. 


08:09 PM

68 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 1

Solskjaer seems to realise that this game could change at any minute and is getting ready to make sure Brighton don't squeeze them out of it. Rashford and Martial being talked to on the sidelines. That will change the way United play - there's absolutely no pace up front and James keeps giving the ball away.


08:08 PM

65 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 1

Van De Beek Update: still jogging around as the only player in the press, occasionally getting the ball by dropping into weird positions wide or deep to get it, then watching his teammate give the ball straight back to the opposition. 


08:05 PM

63 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 1

Off goes another of my spelling nightmares, Gyokeres and on comes Trossard, who the framework of the goal 93 times against Man Utd. ho ho ho ho over exaggeration.


08:03 PM

62 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 1

Van De Beek still struggling to get involved. The ball is never really being moved into the areas that he is in, so he's begun wandering deeper to get touches. Is a bit of a stranger in this team at the moment.

Juan Mata can't believe he's just given a foul away trying to shield a ball by the corner flag. It seems an odd decision until replays show him trying to pull the shorts off the player next to him.

The free-kick comes to nothing and Man Utd attack but - and not for the first time tonight - Dan James' passing/touch/decision making lets the move down.


08:01 PM

59 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 1

It's been all Brighton the last few minutes. Henderson's had to come off his line to keep a ball in play, Ighalo's losing his aerial battles, attempts for United to play out from the back are looking risky. 


07:58 PM

56 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 1

Allister knows Lindelof is behind him, takes a pass on the outside and spins around the defender, drawing the foul. Brighton have a free-kick in a similar position to the one United scored from in the first half, albeit 10 yards more in field.

The shot is pretty awful and booted high and wide and into the stands. The defenders who have run the length of the pitch to be there for a cross seem a little annoyed by that.


07:55 PM

54 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 1

United win a free-kick 30 yards out in prime Mata territory. Except Fred takes it... and launches a shot at goal! That's great power but it's easily saved by the goalkeeper... or is it!!? Steele has spilled it! Players rush to convert but Steele swiftly smothers.


07:52 PM

51 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 1

Van de Beek urges Fred to calm down as he pings a pass with power and height towards James, giving the player no chance of reaching it even if it weren't cut out. He still hasn't been able to get into the game. Jahanbakhsh is going off to help my spelling needs, with Maupay coming on his place. He's gone with what looks like a muscle injury.


07:50 PM

48 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 1

There are times when Bailly looks like an absolute world beater of a centre-back, and those are when he goes flying into tackles having anticipated the danger. There are other times where these exact same movements look risky to the point of lunacy, like the tackle he's just made, two footed, sliding at speed into a Brighton player running into the box. If he'd got that even slightly wrong, Bernardo was going to be flying into the shadow realm. Without his legs.


07:48 PM

KICK OFF 2

We're back! No changes from either side so far. Neal Maupay has been warming up during the break though.


07:38 PM

The United goal

The defending on that goal was poor and so easily corrected. White drops too early, playing everyone onside. It makes it look like Bernardo hasn't reacted quickly enough and lost McTominay on his blindside but that's not the case. 


07:32 PM

HALF TIME - Brighton 0 Man Utd 1

That goal was exactly the sort that decides these sorts of games. Potter looks extremely disappointed that his side have conceded from a set piece but will know Brighton are still in this game. That's all for the first 45 minutes!


07:30 PM

GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!

EXCEPT FOR SCOTT MCTOMINAY! Great header!

The ball is curled onto the penalty spot and McTominay times his run from the back of the pack perfectly, heading through the ball and back across goal. The goalkeeper can't do a thing about it.


07:29 PM

44 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 0

Yellow card for Dan Burn, The Large Dan Burn, who brings Mata down to prevent him getting into a dangerous area. The free-kick is wide right, near the box, and will be crossed in. The sort of free-kick that always ends in sadness. Nobody ever scores from these.


07:28 PM

43 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 0

United are the now the team caught on the back foot but that might be what OGS wants them to do. Well, it would be if he had his quick counter-attack players on like Rashford, Martial and Greenwood. Only James really has the pace to punish any breakaways.


07:27 PM

42 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 0

Another shot on goal for Brighton but again it's not really near the target. I'm not sure Van De Beek's even touched the ball tonight (he has).


07:24 PM

38 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 0

Ighalo is a decent player, he really doesn't seem to be accurately appreciated for how good he is. How many would he score if given 38 Premier League games in a row to play? I don't think it's madness to suggest he'd get around 15-20, but what's more is he'd probably help those around him score heaps too. His linkup and holdup play are totally different to how Anthony Martial plays the role.


07:22 PM

36 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 0

Williams goes down in the Brighton area and wants a penalty he'll never get, Brighton head up the other end and Allister tries to shoot into the top corner from the corner of the box. 


07:19 PM

33 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 0

Brighton come forward and all of a sudden it looks like United have been opened up! Bailly is in a chase with Bernardo and fortunate the Brighton player is deemed to have tripped him up as the ball reaches the box. Lindelof had no idea that there was a forward bursting into space over his right shoulder - any cross into the area would have been an easy chance to score.


07:16 PM

30 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 0

Fred gets the ball 30 yards out in a bit of space and appears to think something along the lines of: 'this is my time. This is my moment. My destiny. Is. Now!' and puts his foot through a shot which flies through the air.... and then directly into the goalkeeper's gloves, stood in the middle of his goal. Worth a go.

To be clear, the gloves were on the goalkeeper. He was in the goal. Brighton aren't just playing a giant pair of gloves.


07:13 PM

27 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 0

Great move by Brighton! Jahanbakhsh (have to Google it every time for spelling) hits a first time effort from 25 yards, bending the ball out to in towards the near post but Henderson follows it and gets down to save. He pushes it away a little further than he probably should have.... but pounces on the loose ball before it's turned in.


07:11 PM

25 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 0

Lots of short passes, no goal action. A few misplaced passes are turning over possession for both sides.


07:08 PM

22 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 0

Fairly even battle here, if we can call it a battle. Brighton starting to figure out how to keep the ball in the opposition half and play. They've won a corner, with Lindelof ultra careful to keep his hands behind his back as the cross was struck.


07:03 PM

19 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 0

Chance for United! More patient passing, James runs wide to create space and Williams finds Mata moving through the middle. He cuts it across goal for Ighalo, who takes a touch wide and tries to finish at the near post but hits the side netting. Decent move. 


07:01 PM

16 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 0

Williams tries to switch play but ends up hitting an up and under ball into the sky which is easily headed away and gifts Brighton possession. They move up the pitch, Burn joins in, Mac Allister has a touch, the ball is moved around a bit... and ends up back with the goalkeeper.


06:58 PM

13 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 0

Both full-backs are getting forward early on trying to overlap Dan James and Juan Mata but Brighton are doing really well at shutting things down in their own defensive third and forcing the passes backwards and sideways.


06:56 PM

11 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 0

Bailly diving headers the ball to pass it to a teammate at halfway and I am fully signed up for this kind of content. 


06:53 PM

8 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 0

Lots of short, sharp passes from United so far, who actually look pretty good so far. Brighton are being kept in their own defensive third at the moment, unable to really break out. Mata comes across to take a corner... and Brighton try to counter! United snap to them and win the ball back straight away.


06:50 PM

5 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 0

It took nine years for Henderson to make his United debut, which he did in the game against Luton, and so far tonight he's been involved just once so far, absolutely pummelling a ball 100 yards to avoid giving away a corner. 


06:48 PM

3 mins - Brighton 0 Man Utd 0

Ighalo takes a fair old whack to the ankle from Lewis Dunk early on but the game has already settled into Brighton defending vs Man Utd passing the ball around. This is precisely the sort of thing that was bad for Solskjaer's side on the weekend.


06:45 PM

KICK OFF

The players are out, the rain has been pouring down... but now it's time. Here we go! Brighton get the game started.


06:27 PM

Who should Man Utd sign?

We'll do some Brighton updates at some point because there are two teams playing and it used to drive me mad when websites and TV coverage only focused on top six sides, but there's far more to talk about down Manchester United way. Like who should they sign?

A centre-back who commands the area, doesn't lose headers (Lindelof's weakness) and can concentrate for 90 minutes (and the rest...) at a time is a must, but so is finding either back-up or an elite level right winger. Mason Greenwood may eventually end up as a central striker but he cannot be expected to deliver all season long on the right, no matter how brilliant he already is. United need cover but they need to improve. Whoever comes in has to be better than what they already have... but that costs money. Jadon Sancho made perfect sense, and now they're apparently interested in Federico Chiesa, who you may recognise from various Football Manager titles as being quite good. You can read more about him here in this story about United's interest:

 


06:10 PM

Ed Woodward's excellent transfer strategy

So far this window, United have signed one Donny Van De Beek and approximately zero other players. Jadon Sancho is the one they really want, as we have been reporting for about eight years,  but that transfer looks basically dead. And so Woodward must begin his search for others, offer a price that the selling club doesn't want to sell for... and United end up without any players. As Sevilla's director of football says, it seems ludicrous that United still don't have a director of football.

To put it all into context, I made this cartoon six years ago:

How can this joke still work? Six years! 


05:52 PM

Starting lineups

Here are the teams! 

Brighton's team is... well if Graham Potter didn't even turn up for this it would follow a similar line of thinking. A couple of first team players in there but otherwise this is a 'we have too many games and this competition doesn't matter' lineup.

Man Utd's is in too. And it's a first start for Donny Van De Beek. Aaaaand a bunch of other reserves. Diogo Dalot starts at right back, Brandon Williams on the left, Idion Ighalo up front... and DEAN HENDERSON IN GOAL.

 


05:34 PM

The EFL Cup

It's here! The trophy that no Premier League manager cares about at all... until his team is losing in the 75th minute. The Carabao Cup is pretty low down the priority list for [everyone] but it does at least guarantee a big day out for fans when they reach the final... but now even that's not a thing. Damn yooooou viruuuus [shakes hand angrily at the sky).

Man Utd have the better players man for man in the first team for sure, but it really depends on what XI Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fields tonight. Winning any sort of trophy would do amazing things for Solskjaer's legacy, or whatever it is he eventually leaves at Old Trafford, but even he probably maybe won't really be too interested in this game... until his side is losing in the 75th minute. What to expect?

Brighton have been decent since the season started four days after the previous one, with Graham Potter's system really getting a lot out of the players they do have. Squad rotation is key but if United rest their first XI, isn't it a good idea to play the first team and pull off a win, the sort that might define Brighton's whole season?

Decisions, decisions. Thankfully, we won't have to wait long to find out what both managers are thinking as they will be required (not legally) to provide the team sheets. 

Man Utd have an awful lot more to lose tonight and the pressure is with them... but this could be a great opportunity for fringe players to show their worth. Judging by Man Utd's transfer business so far since Ed Woodward was in charge of them, that's going to be important. 

Kick off is 7:45, stay with us for live analysis and updates all the way through.