Post Match report for the Man Utd - FA Cup R3 game - Sunday, 11th January 2026
FA CUP 25/26: Man Utd V Brighton - 11/1/26 R3
* * * * * MONKEY OFF OUR BACK * * * * *
RESULT: 1-2 ~ Gruda Welbeck . (h-t 0-1)
VENUE: Old Trafford, Manchester - first tie of 3 rounds to date . Sun 4:30pm.
BEFORE KICKOFF: Brighton fans were not especially pleased to be back in Manchester at Sunday teatime following a midweek league attendance over at City.
The FA Cup draw had not been kind to us and k-o comp tickets were pretty expensive to boot.
We did not have a win against United in any recent knockout meeting both at home & away, nor previously at Wembley.
WEATHER: wintry . GATE: tba . KIT: blue & white . ATMOSPHERE: singing in the rain.
FABIAN HURZELER knew he had to coach a better performance out of the match-day group than when defeated in the Prem here during October.
FH had a requirement that selections had first to deserve their place and so assembled a selective team-sheet.
SQUAD: 7 March 17 Baleba (Afcon) 20 Milner 29 de Cuyper 38 McGill (gk) . IN: 30 Gross
INJURED: 11 Minteh 27 Wieffer . REHAB: 4 Webster 9 Tzimas
OOL: 3 Julio 16 Cashin 28 Ferguson 32 Sarmiento 33 ORiley 39 Rushworth (gk) 40 Buonanotte
STARTING SHAPE: 4-2-3-1
TEAM . . . . . . . . . 23 Steele
. 34 Veltman 42 Coppola 21 Boscagli 24 Kadioglu
. . 8 Gruda 13 Hinshelwood 30 Gross 25 Gomez
. . . . . 10 Rutter . . . 18 Welbeck (C)
SUBS: 6 van Hecke (77), 22 Mitoma (77), 26 Ayari (77), 19 Kostoulas (83), 14 Watson (92)
BENCH: 1 Verbruggen 5 Dunk 51 Tasker 53 Howell
GOALS:
0-1 - 12 . GRUDA completes an attack involving Welbeck and Rutter whose attempt is blocked on the line.
0-2 - 64 . WELBECK smashes home a thunderbolt to the top corner to double visitors lead.
1-2 - 85 . Red Devils net a late consolation.
YELLOWS: Kostoulas 93 . . . RED: hosts 89
CHANGES: 77 van Hecke, Mitoma & Ayari for Gomez, Welbeck & Veltman
83 Kostoulas or Rutter . 92 Watson or Gruda
FIRST HALF: visitors take an early lead after holding hosts efforts during opening exchanges.
More end to end play then continued until halftime.
SECOND HALF: past the hour mark travellers notch a second score.
Hurzeler inserts a late triple change and also changes shape.
Locals net with five minutes to go.
Then have a man sent off for two bookables.
IN THE END: Seagulls did a job on hapless United who could hardly hit a barn door.
NUMBERS: poss 60%-40%, on target 8-4 , off target 11-9 , corners 6-1,
fouls 11-15, yellows 3-1, red 1-0, subs 4-5, shape 4231-4231
FS
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