Manchester United rounded out their 2025/26 Premier League campaign with an impressive 3-0 win against Brighton & Hove Albion, as United signed off the season in style.

United struggled to get into the game in the opening quarter of an hour, with the home side looking the much better side, as they battled for a potential place in the Champions League. The visitors found it hard to gain a foothold in the game, with Senne Lammens making a couple of distribution errors which lifted the spirits of the Amex Stadium.

After the cooling break half way into the opening 45 minutes, United came to life, as they pushed for the opener. The moment that all United fans had been waiting for came in the 33rd minute, when Patrick Dorgu headed home from a Bruno Fernandes assist, taking his tally to 21 for the season, a new Premier League record.

United made the most of their dominance towards the end of the first half, with Bryan Mbeumo finishing off a beautifully worked team goal, assisted by Amad, who looked back to his dangerous best.

United picked up where they left off in the second half, with Fernandes scoring his first goal in seven fixtures to cap a fantastic afternoon for the club captain.

Despite Brighton pushing for a goal in the second half, United remained comfortable, with Lammens making a couple of stops to end his debut season at United with a clean sheet, taking his total for the season to eight.

Much of the discourse about where Bruno Fernandes ranks among Premier League midfielders has surrounded the lack of silverware that the Portuguese midfielder has picked up over his six-year spell at Old Trafford, winning just one FA Cup and one Carabao Cup.

However, with his assist against Brighton, the 31-year-old now holds an accolade that no other Premier League player past or present can claim: the Premier League assist record, which now stands at 21.

This feat caps off an excellent individual season for the Portuguese midfielder, being named the FWA Footballer of the Year, as well as the Premier League Player of the season.

Not many would have believed such a feat was possible, considering his deeper role under Ruben Amorim, where he picked up seven assists before the turn of the year.

Under Darren Fletcher’s brief interim spell in charge, Fernandes was instantly restored to his preferred position further forward, assisting in both games. He went from strength to strength under Carrick, assisting 13 in the 17 remaining games.

In recent fixtures, it has been clear that Fernandes has been chasing the record, opting to attempt an assist rather than a shot at every opportunity. With the record achieved, Fernandes even bagged himself a goal on the final day, finishing past Bart Verbruggen.

Amad started this season well, forming an impressive partnership with Bryan Mbeumo in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system, which allowed for the pair to start together.

The Ivorian had recorded two goals and three assists before being called up to represent his national team at the African Cup of Nations, before returning to a Manchester United side now being led by Michael Carrick.

Under Carrick, Amad has been in and out of a starting place in the side, not contributing much to the side, and failing to record a goal or assist since before AFCON.

Against Brighton, however, the 23-year-old looked to have rediscovered his form from the start of the season, looking very dangerous on the right flank. 

Amad assisted United’s second goal just before half-time, capping off a brilliant team move with impressive dribbling in the penalty box, before playing a quick one-two with Mason Mount, and squaring it to Mbeumo to score his 11th, and probably easiest goal of the season.

In the second half, he had a couple of good chances to get the goal he deserved on the day, but Verbruggen made a couple of impressive saves to keep out the Ivorian.

Manchester United's 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest in their final home game of the season was announced as being Casemiro's last game for the club, having announced his departure from the club earlier in the season.

As United look set to make a host of midfield changes this summer, Mason Mount showed against Brighton that he still has a place in this side, impressing in just his 11th start of the season after injuries have yet again been an issue this season.

As United look forward to a Champions League campaign and deep runs in England's domestic competitions next season, Mount has certainly shown Michael Carrick that he can still be a viable option.

While he is naturally a more attacking midfielder, the 27-year-old deputised well, playing alongside Kobbie Mainoo in United's midfield.

If he can stay fit, there is no reason as to why he can't play a larger role in Michael Carrick's side going into next season.

Patrick Dorgu, who was Ruben Amorim's first major signing at Manchester United as key depth at left-wing-back, has been excellent since Michael Carrick took over in January.

The 21-year-old had a brilliant start to life under United's new head coach, scoring against rivals Manchester City, before scoring a worldie in United's 3-2 win over Arsenal.

A hamstring injury picked up against the league winners forced him onto the sidelines for the next 10 fixtures, before being limited to appearances off the bench for the three fixtures before the Brighton game.

The Denmark international's goal against the Seagulls meant that he has now scored three goals in as many starts under Carrick, while also providing the assist for Fernandes' goal.

Despite being signed as the long-term replacement for Luke Shaw, he has been much more impressive further forward and has been one of United's main threats going forward in the games he has played.

With a third-placed finish in the Premier League, many would have thought that Carrick would have rotated his squad to give the youngsters a chance.

While Shea Lacey and Jack Fletcher both featured off the bench, the new United head coach named a strong side to end the season on a high note and dominated the game.

With the lack of jeopardy for United on the final day, it was Brighton who had it all to play for, where a win could have landed them in the Europa League, but they were outplayed by the visitors. 

For a United side who have failed to properly see out games this season, being able to end their season on such a high with such a commanding display could be an indication of a significant mentality shift under Michael Carrick, and they will look to ride that momentum going into next season.