**Post Match report for the Man Utd - EFL Cup R3 game - Wednesday, 16th September 2026**
ENGLISH LEAGUE CUP 26/27: Manchester United V Brighton - 16/9/26 R3 \* \* \* \* \* ANOTHER LONG ROAD TO END SOMEWHERE \* \* \* \* \* RESULT: 2-3 ~ Kostoulas Gross de Cuyper . . (h-t 2-1) VENUE: Old Trafford, Manchester - first tie of 3 rounds for EFLC to date . Wed 8pm BEFORE KICKOFF: travelling support is used to attending midweek away knockouts on a regular basis but of all those many PL & EFL qualifying clubs we could have drawn it seemingly was allocation of the shortest straw repeating. WEATHER: rain . KIT: blue . ATMOSPHERE: entertainment by k-o for locals & travellers alike. FABIAN HURZELER was last here during January this year for an FA Cup R3 tie and had been brought up to speed concerning our goalless Wembley FAC s-f appearance with United on St. Georges Day 2023. FH reviewed a long injury & rehab list in order to make required permutations for progress into the fourth round. SQUAD: 30 Svoboda INJURED: 8 Hinshelwood 27 Wieffer 36 Yohanna 39 Azeez REHAB: 7 Mitoma 9 Tzimas 11 Minteh 28 Ferguson . OOL: 16 Cashin 22 Duberry 40 Buonanotte STARTING SHAPE: 3-4-2-1 TEAM: 23 Steele 44 Vuskovic 4 Struijk 21 Boscagli 20 Costinha 13 Gross (C) 14 Andres 3 Hadjam 33 ORiley 19 Kostoulas 35 Yalcouye SUBS: 25 Gomez (66) 29 de Cuyper (66), 24 Kadioglu (74), 26 Ayari (74), 10 Rutter (82) BENCH: 1 Verbruggen 5 Dunk 12 David 15 Osman GOALS: 1-0 - 8 . hosts press forwards and take a pot shot that beats Steele on his near post. 2-0 - 10 . locals harry visitors, win the ball and get men forwards into the area. 2-1 - 45 . KOSTOULAS chases a long cross-field ball from Hadjam and puts it past the keeper. 2-2 - 65 . GROSS receives a long headed clearance from Vuskovic, turns and shoots across the keeper. 2-3 - 69 . DE CUYPER is central in the area to pop in a deflected centre from Kostoulas. YELLOWS: Andres 43 Hadjam 59 Ayari 85 de Cuyper 91 CHANGES: 66 Gomez & de Cuyper for ORiley & Yalcouye 74 Kadioglu & Ayari for Hadjam & Boscagli . 82 Rutter for Kostoulas FIRST HALF: inside ten minutes visitors are two behind from determined attacking. Travellers pull one back just prior to the intermission. SECOND HALF: past the hour mark the away side are ahead on basic stats. Then equalise and go ahead within five minutes. IN THE END: Albion lost the plot in early moments and then were on a prolonged chase to get something. NUMBERS: poss 50%-50% on target 4-5, off target 8-13, corners 4-3, fouls 5-14, yellows 0-4, subs 5-5, shape 4231-433 FS BROWSING: via Stats page tabs all History & Travel, Squad, Archive - players, plus stats.