February 15, (THEWILL) – Man United beat 10-man Brighton at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s first goal of 2022 and a Bruno Fernandes strike.
The first goal came in the second half, when CR7 rifled the ball into the top corner from the edge of the box, before Fernandes sealed the victory in the final minute. Between those goals, Lewis Dunk received a straight red card.
It was a lively start to the game, with plenty of errors, chances, and intense pressure, much of which came from the Brighton side of the pitch and kept the hosts busy at the backline.
A Man United blunder almost cost them to concede the opener after a misjudged Fred ball let Jakub Moder through on goal on the right side of the penalty area after only five minutes on the clock. But, the offensive midfielder was unable to beat David de Gea in the United goal.
Similarly, a Brighton error gave the Red Devils an opening moments later. Cristiano Ronaldo snuck in and backheeled the ball to Jadon Sancho thanks to Adam Webster’s bad touch. Again, Sancho, much like Moder, was unable to beat Brighton’s goalie.
Man United’s only real chance to seem like a remotely effective football team in the first half came when they made the latter error. As a result of Fred and Scott McTominay’s incapacity to pass the ball three yards, Brighton were able to push the home side back into their own defensive third with reasonable ease.
Moder climbed highest in the penalty box to connect with a cross from Joel Veltman in the 38th minute, and Brighton’s dominance was almost rewarded. De Gea, on the other hand, was quick to dive across his goal and palm the German’s thundering header over, again keeping his side in the game.
Brighton’s first-half efforts were immediately undone when United scored the game’s first goal in the 50th minute. Yves Bissouma was caught in possession and Ronaldo quickly slipped the pass past Webster on the outskirts of the box and shot into the top corner for his first goal in nine games.
Dunk was then sent off three minutes later for dragging Anthony Elanga to the ground after being dispossessed by the teenager on the edge of his own area.
Following that, it was all Manchester United. On the hour mark, Robert Sanchez saved a trademark CR7 header and the keeper was called into action again when Ronaldo squared to Fernandes, who saw his shot on goal saved by the Spaniard.
Ronaldo missed another chance to double his side’s lead with a quarter-hour remaining, hitting wide from four yards out.
Before the game’s finish, the Red Devils were almost forced to pay for all of their missed opportunities. First, Moder hit the crossbar with a 25-yard shot, and then, in the 90th minute, substitute Danny Welbeck headed well wide from eight yards out.
Man United ultimately finished off the contest in the waning seconds of the game, with Bruno Fernandes scoring from a Paul Pogba quick free kick pass to double the score for the hosts.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
