Manchester United will hope to record a third win on the bounce when they take on Brighton, but after defeating Liverpool, they may now be left with their true test under Ruben Amorim
Ruben Amorim
Ruben Amorim tasted defeat against Brighton in January(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
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There's a school of thought that a win over Brighton this weekend will be more telling of progress for Manchester United than their shock victory over Liverpool. The success over the Reds is the biggest result of Ruben Amorim's tenure with the Red Devils but the club still have more to prove.
The Portuguese coach has managed to find some positive results in matches against the Premier League's traditional powerhouses. Since arriving at the club last November, he has recorded three wins, three draws and five defeats against Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
There has been success too, against newly-promoted teams. United have managed five wins and one draw in six games under Amorim despite the side's struggles. But United have come unstuck against the divisions' remaining teams: the Red Devils have just three wins and three draws in 18 games, falling to defeat 12 times.
Amorim has already tasted defeat against Brighton, in January, where Bruno Fernandes' penalty was in vain as Yankuba Minteh, Kaoru Mitoma and Georginio Rutter all got on the scoresheet at Old Trafford
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In fact, United have not beaten the Seagulls at home since February 2022. Ralf Rangnick and Graham Potter were in charge of the teams as Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernandes secured a win.
United have tasted three consecutive Old Trafford defeats against sides led by Potter, Roberto De Zerbi and Fabian Hurzeler. Amorim will hope he can change that and record a third win on the bounce for the first time in charge of the Red Devils.
Significant cash has been splashed since United last beat Brighton at home. The club have handed out more than £800million for new signings over that period and seen the likes of Antony, Antony, Casemiro, Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount and Joshua Zirkzee arrive at the club before landing Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo this summer.
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana looks over a team huddle during the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Brighton
Manchester United have not defeated Brighton at Old Trafford since 2022
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Brighton have also made some big deals, most notably in their sales. Paul Barber has raked in around £450m, with Chelsea offering around £300m of that, with figures such as Marc Cucurella, Moises Caicedo, Joao Pedro, Billy Gilmour, and Alexis Mac Allister all departing.
Where does that leave the team currently? After eight matches, they are side by side in the table with a single point between them. The Segulls have recorded one win and one defeat fewer than their opponents this weekend.
Perhaps that means a draw is the most likely outcome. Alan Shearer believes so with both teams coming into the clash off of a win.
"This is a tough one to call," Shearer told Betfair. "Last weekend, Man Utd had an amazing result at Liverpool with Brighton deservedly beating Newcastle.
"Brighton are a good team, they create chances and look very well organised. I'm going to go for a draw on this one. It might not be a bad result for both clubs."
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