Today, Jan. 11, the FA Cup third-round match took place. The legendary Old Trafford, also nicknamed the 'Theatre of Dreams,' was the stadium where 'The Reds,' Manchester United, faced Brighton.

The referee in charge was Simon Hooper.

Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Senne Lammens, Lisandro Martinez, Leny Yoro, Patrick Dorgu, Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte, Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha, and Mason Mount.

Manager: Darren Fletcher.

Brighton & Hove Albion (4-2-3-1): Jason Steele, Olivier Boscagli, Diego Coppola, Ferdi Kadioglu, Joel Veltman, Georginio Rutter, Pascal Gross, Jack Hinshelwood, Danny Welbeck, Diego Gomez, and Brajan Gruda.

Manager: Fabian Hurzeler.

The year 2026 has not started in the best way for the squad led by the Englishman Marc Skinner, as they began Jan. 4 with a 1-1 draw against Leeds, followed three days later by another draw against Burnley." "And today, they faced a significant test against Brighton, led by American Fabian Hurzeler.

The 'Red Devils' began dominating the match with several chances that ended as mere attempts due to the performance of goalkeeper Steele, but the 'bucket of cold water' arrived early. In the 12th minute, German Brajan Gruda scored after a goal-line save by Lisandro Martinez; he took advantage of the rebound to score the first goal of the match.

The goal seemingly affected United's concentration, as a poor clearance in the 14th minute resulted in a scare for the home side.

Few thrills followed before halftime, which concluded without substitutions.

The second half began with United attempting to equalize, but in the 64th minute, Englishman Danny Welbeck struck a powerful left-footed shot into the top corner, making it 2-0. The crisis for the Manchester club continued and did not look promising.

Manchester United kept insisting on narrowing the gap but could not find clarity until the 85th minute, when Slovenian Benjamin Sesko scored a header from a corner kick to provide hope.

However, it was only hope; in the 89th minute, Englishman Shea Lacey was sent off following a protest. This buried any hopes of an equalizer.

The match ended with a 1-2 score in favor of Brighton, who has eliminated the 'Red Devils'.

Manchester United:

Joshua Zirkzee replaced Kobbie Mainoo at 62.

Shea Lacey replaced Mason Mount at 62.

Casemiro replaced Manuel Ugarte at 78.

Harry Maguire replaced Lisandro Martinez at 79.

Brighton & Hove Albion:

Yasin Ayari replaced Joel Veltman at 77.

Kaoru Mitoma replaced Danny Welbeck at 77.

Jan Paul van Hecke replaced Diego Gomez at 77.

Charalampos Kostoulas replaced Georginio Rutter at 83.

Tom Watson replaced Brajan Gruda at 90+2.

Manchester United's next match will be Saturday, Jan. 17, against Manchester City.

The crisis for the 'Red Devils' continues, and they face a difficult test in the upcoming Manchester Derby.

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