Manchester United felt they were in trouble after Danny Welbeck’s free-kick, which led to Brighton’s first goal, was taken at least five yards from where the foul occurred. Brighton were given a chance to pull one back when Ruben Amorim’s side were leading 3-0. In the 72nd minute, Patrick Dorg was awarded a penalty for a scuffle with Yankuba Minte, who was running towards goal.
Referee Anthony Taylor showed Dorg a yellow card and a VAR review determined the booking did not warrant an upgrade. United supporters breathed a sigh of relief that the former Lecce player was not sent off, but were furious that the free-kick was taken far beyond where the foul had occurred.
Video and photographic evidence clearly shows that Dorg fouled Minte approximately 28 yards from goal. However, Welbeck took the free kick within 23 yards of the post.
Despite the fact that the free-kick was taken further forward than it should have been, it did nothing to detract from Welbeck’s excellent attack. The former United striker expertly lofted his shot over the wall and past Senne Lamence.
Brighton’s Charalampos Kostoulas then scored another goal to shock Old Trafford. However, United persevered and scored their fourth goal in stoppage time in the second half to secure a 4-2 victory.
Brian Mbeumo scored twice for the Reds, with Matheus Cunha and Casemiro also scoring, as they clinched their third consecutive Premier League title for the first time since August 2024.
Reflecting on his team’s victory over Brighton, Amorim said after the match: “I feel good. I think we played well, but we suffered a bit at the end and it was our fault that we conceded the first goal.”
“At that time in the game, you could feel we were close to the fourth goal, but we didn’t score one. But they did everything. They ran, they made plays on the ball, they held the ball when they needed to. So, it was a good game.”
“We were controlling the game, but we conceded a goal,” Amorim continued. “And we struggled a little bit. They have a lot of talent. They have good quality of the ball and they control it and use that momentum to control the game. But we have improved how we respond to bad moments and we did that again today.”
“Our reactions are a little bit better, which is really important. We know how to suffer. If we can suffer together, it becomes much easier to win games.”
