Brighton vs Manchester United player ratings: Marcus Rashford shines in dramatic 3-2 win

Manchester United won in dramatic fashion but struggled for large parts on the south coast, with the best chances coming for the hosts, who hit the woodwork on three occasions in the first half and a remarkable five times in the game.

Brighton impressed in the opening period, with Leandro Trossard causing headaches with his attacking intent. Tariq Lamptey, who has impressed early in the season thanks to his attacking runs, continued his form and won the penalty that gave the Seagulls the lead.

A Marcus Rashford goal early in the second half – smashed in before Brighton hit the woodwork for a fourth and fifth time – allowed United to take control of a game which they looked like winning right up until Solly March’s late equaliser.

But that final penalty, scored by Bruno Fernandes, settled a remarkable game.

Here’s how the players rated:

Brighton & Hove Albion:

Mat Ryan – 6. Should he have done better for the Rashford goal? It would be a harsh assessment, as the United forward was right in front of the Australian’s net.

Ben White – 6. The defender made a good run forward, but was quickly caught out and punished by Rashford for the second United goal. Almost made amends with an excellent last-ditch challenge on Martial.

Lewis Dunk – 6. Unlucky to score the own goal, but Maguire would have scored if Dunk wasn’t there. Booked for a foul on Rashford.

Adam Webster – 6. The centre-back had a solid outing, and was unlucky to see his header hit the woodwork.

Tariq Lamptey – 6. The former-Chelsea man made some excellent runs forward and gave the Seagulls some much-needed width in the first half, but his influence waned in the second half.

Adam Lallana – 6. He helped Brighton control possession at times, but ultimately failed to truly impact the game.

Steven Alzate – 5. Similar to Lallana, Alzate helped Brighton move the ball, but did nothing of note.

Solly March – 7. Unfortunate to hit the inside of the post with a left-footed strike that had De Gea beaten. He was much more prominent in the second half, with Brighton’s best moments often flowing through him, and got his rewards with a late headed equaliser.

Leandro Trossard – 7. The Belgian international was unlucky to not open the scoring in the first half, rattling the post with a fine strike from the edge of the area. Unbelievably smashed the crossbar when through on goal with 15 minutes to go.

Neal Maupay – 7. The Frenchman terrorised the United backline, and his dinked penalty wasn’t bad either. He continued to cause problems in the second half as Brighton threatened, and the late handball seemed harsh.

Aaron Connolly – 6. Connolly had several penalty appeals ultimately turned away, and while there was little end product, he ran United ragged.

Substitutes:

Jahanbakhsh – N/A

Groß –N/A

Manchester United:

David De Gea – 5. The Spaniard was slow to react to the Webster header, and was lucky that it rebounded off the crossbar.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 5. Brighton’s best chances came down his side, and he offered little going forward.

Victor Lindelof – 5. The Swede never looked comfortable, and almost scored a horrendous own goal after a Solly March cross.

Harry Maguire – 6. His key contribution was his help in turning the ball in the net for the equaliser, but the English defender was beaten several times by Brighton’s front threes

Luke Shaw – 6. The left-back was tasked with dealing with Lamptey, and after a shaky first half, managed to neutralise the wing-back in the final 45 minutes.

Paul Pogba – 5. An uninspiring performance from the World Cup winner, who was off the pace throughout.

Nemanja Matic – 5. Matic was slow and labouring in the first half, and was booked when his arm hit Aaron Connolly in the face.

Mason Greenwood – 6. The 18-year-old finished nicely when he tucked it away after 33 minutes, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Made some nice passes in the second half.

Bruno Fernandes – 6. Conceded a penalty with a clumsy challenge. Was already in the book after mis-controlling ball and fouling Maupay – but kept his cool to score a late winner

Marcus Rashford – 7. His disallowed goal was a fine finish, but his run was just offside. He quickly made amends though, expertly turning Ben White and smashing United in front.

Anthony Martial – 6. The Frenchman got himself into some good positions, but often found himself denied by some excellent Brighton defending.

Substitutes:

Fred – 6. The Brazilian came on for Pogba to add some defensive stability, although he did little to stem Brighton’s attack. Kept the ball well.

Bailly – N/A