Manchester United suffered a painful Carabao Cup exit on Wednesday after surrendering a two-goal advantage to lose to Brighton at Old Trafford.
The defeat ended a remarkable 50-year record for United, who had not lost at home after taking a two-goal lead since 1976, when Sir Alex Ferguson was still managing St Mirren.
The latest setback came just days after United’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, piling further pressure on manager Michael Carrick and his players.
United supporters made their feelings clear at the final whistle. Many fans left Old Trafford before the players could complete their traditional lap of appreciation, while those who remained responded with boos as the squad made its way towards the tunnel.
Carrick made eight changes to his starting XI for the cup tie, handing opportunities to several fringe players and academy prospects, including teenager Shea Lacey.
Lacey took his opportunity impressively, opening the scoring in the eighth minute with a composed finish.
The goal made him the first teenager to score on his first Manchester United start since Marcus Rashford accomplished the feat in 2016.
But United were unable to build on their early advantage. Brighton gradually grew into the contest, took control of proceedings and eventually completed a comeback that sent the hosts crashing out of the competition.
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler believed his side deserved the victory.
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“The longer the game went, the more we had control. I thought we deserved to win,” Hurzeler said.
Carrick offered little disagreement, acknowledging that United had failed to do enough to prevent another disappointing result.
The defeat means United have now suffered three losses this season while recording just two victories. Their latest setback also brought an end to their hopes of lifting the Carabao Cup.
Carrick admitted he was particularly disappointed for Lacey, whose outstanding first start was overshadowed by United’s collapse.
“It’s a shame that Shea’s moment, such a great moment for him, for his family, his friends and the whole academy, gets a bit lost, unfortunately,” Carrick said.
The United boss also addressed the situation surrounding 15-year-old JJ Gabriel, who had been tipped to make his senior debut.
Carrick stressed that the club must prioritise the youngster’s welfare and avoid exposing him to unnecessary pressure at such a young age.
“He’s a young boy, he’s 15, and for me, definitely, and from a club point of view, looking after our younger players, their welfare, their wellbeing, their exposure, we’ve got to be really conscious of that,” he said.
Despite the mounting criticism following another disappointing result, Carrick insisted that he does not feel under pressure.
“I don’t feel under pressure,” he said. “What bothers me is winning games, having a good feeling around the place and a good feeling around the group to know we’re moving in a good direction.”
United now have one more fixture before the international break, with Fulham awaiting them at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
After a difficult run of results, another setback could further intensify scrutiny around Carrick and his Manchester United side.
