Key events
76 min Fernandes’s deflected cross is well claimed by Sanchez above the head of Martial. The attack started when Casemiro won the ball off Mitoma in a dangerous area.
75 min: Brighton substitution Undav replaces Welbeck, who is able to walk off the field. It looks like a knock rather than anything more worrying, and I suspect the substitution might have happened anyway.
74 min Welbeck launched into what he thought would be a shot, but Lindelof came on the blind side to intercept. Welbeck is still down, receiving treatment to his right knee, and Deniz Undav is about to come on.
73 min Gross plays a cute disguised pass to Welbeck in the area. Lindelof steps across to make a good interception and is wiped out by Welbeck. I think Welbeck has hurt himself in the process.
71 min Webster deliberately trips Martial, another foul that might have led to a yellow card. Martial had a poor first half but has been much livelier in the second.
69 min This is United’s most dominant spell of the game, by a distance, and the last few minutes have taken place almost exclusively in the Brighton half.
66 min: Brighton substitution Joel Veltman replaces Julio Enciso, which means Pascal Gross will move forward from right-back and Alexis Mac Allister will become the No10.
66 min Fernandes slaps a nothing free-kick into the wall, then leathers the rebound over the bar.
65 min They’re still sorting out the walls – one for Brighton, another for United just in front.
64 min Enciso pulls Rashford on the edge of the D and is also lucky to not be booked. Even so, this is a good chance for United…
64 min Now it’s United who are having a good spell. Fernandes lobs a smart pass infield to Antony, whose low shot from the edge of the D is pushed away by the diving Sanchez. It wasn’t the cleanest strike from Antony.
63 min I’m surprised Estupinan wasn’t booked, having tried (and failed) to pull back Wan-Bissaka a couple of minutes ago.
62 min: Man Utd substitution Fred replaces Christian Eriksen.
61 min Wan-Bissaka beats Estupinan beautifully on the right and cuts the ball back to Antony in the area. He tries to find Casemiro, which leads to a helluva scramble before Brighton eventually clear.
60 min March goes outside Dalot in the area and sprays a rising cross-shot that is pushed away by the leaping de Gea. Was that a shot? If so it wasn’t a great one, in truth, as a low cross was the better option.
59 min: Chance for United! Fernandes robs Estupinan 35 yards from goal and gives the ball to Antony. He runs to the edge of the area, with Fernandes in a great position on his outside. But you know what Antony is going to do in that position, and he obliges with a tame low shot that is easily saved by Sanchez. Fernandes would have been in on goal with a simple reverse pass.
58 min I thought Fred would start; he’s about to come on now. A number of United players look tired and/or half-fit: Casemiro, Eriksen, Rashford, Martial.
58 min: Great chance for Brighton! Gross swings the resulting corner to the far post, where Welbeck gets between Martial and Shaw but heads over from six yards! Oof, that was the best chance of the game.
56 min: Good save by de Gea! They’ve tested him now! A deep corner from the right was headed towards goal by Webster and nodded clear by Casemiro in the six-yard box. Mitoma had a shot blocked and then Enciso hit a sizzling left-foot drive from the edge of the area. De Gea leapt to his right to push it over, a fine reaction save.
55 min Mitoma tries to twist outside Wan-Bissaka, who stands up and wins the ball. He’s defended well.
53 min It’s all Brighton at the moment. They still haven’t really tested David de Gea, though, with just one free-kick from Alexis Mac Allister that he had to save. Evan Ferguson must be so frustrated watching this.
52 min Dalot’s poor pass is nicked by Caicedo. Shaw pulls him back and is booked.
In a midfield battle full of stars, Caicedo has probably been the best player so far.
52 min United’s front three – Martial, Rashford, Antony – have been less MRA, more MIA, though that’s mainly because Brighton won’t give United the ball.
50 min The corner is headed down by Dunk towards Estupinan on the edge of the area. He runs away from Eriksen but then shoots high and wide from a tight angle.
49 min March goes on the outside of Dalot and wins a corner. Brighton have made a fast start to the second half.
49 min “Lewis Dunk is a remarkable player,” says Kári Tulinius, “a one-club man who’s been a defensive stalwart from the start of Chris Hughton’s time as Brighton manager, and stayed at the heart of the Seagulls’ defence through the radical changes wrought by Potter and de Zerbi.”
48 min A dodgy pass from Casemiro in his own area is intercepted by March, but United have enough bodies to crowd him out.
47 min Casemiro releases Antony in the inside-right channel. He goes on the outside of Dunk, into the area, before sliding a slightly tame low cross that is cleared by Webster at the far post.
46 min Peep peep! Bruno Fernandes gets the game under way, with no changes on either side.
“Good morning Rob, good morning everybody,” says Adam Roberts. “‘And Smith Must Score’ has always been highly unfair on Gary Bailey. I watched that final in one of the unlamented crescents in Hulme. A beautiful goal from Wilkins in a season where he took so much stick from the OT crowd. And I saw the great Raymondo between the final and the replay in St Anne’s Square and thought I would leave him be when out with his family.
“As for today, so far just a relief to see United competing after Thursday’s debacle; Casemiro looking his usual self after his worst performance in red; and I’ve been saying for a year and a half that Maguire unsettles the whole defence – what a relief he is suspended.”
Half-time reading
Half time: Brighton 0-0 Man Utd
An intriguing half ends goalless. Brighton were the more fluent side throughout but United came closest to scoring at the end of the half. See you in 15 minutes!
45+2 min: Chance for Eriksen! United are ending the half very strongly. Eriksen waves a lovely crossfield pass out to Rashford on the left. Rashford moves into the area and slides a low cross that misses everyone in the middle and rolls towards Eriksen, backing up the play at the far post. Eriksen throttles a low drive from the edge of the area that is straight at Sanchez, who kicks it away.
45+1 min: Chance for Martial! Brighton get in trouble trying to play the ball out, with Fernandes robbing Caicedo on the edge of the centre circle. The ball runs through to Martial, 35 yards from goal and with Sanchez in no man’s land, but he drives a flat chip over the bar with his left foot. That looked a really good chance.
45 min Three minutes of added time.
44 min: Just wide from Fernandes! Out of nothing, a chance for United. Sanchez’s pass out of defence was well read by Casemiro, who played a one-two with Eriksen and then cushioned a first-time pass through to Fernandes in the area. His low drive across goal beat Sanchez, who didn’t dive, and rolled just wide of the far post.
44 min “To those critics of the ankle-turning pitch today, let’s remember that Erling Haaland and City played here just 24 hours ago,” says Justin Kavanagh. “So just as Chelsea played Leeds in 1970 soon after the Horse of the Year show, these teams are doing likewise in the wake of yesterday’s Norse of the Year exhibition.”
42 min The first part of the game was fairly even, but Brighton are dominating now, albeit without creating any clear chances.
41 min Eriksen’s deep corner is headed away by Estupinan. Brighton break promisingly but Mitoma’s pass is too heavy for March.
41 min A rare foray forward from Dalot, who has been too busy defending, leads to a United corner on the left…
39 min It’s getting a bit niggly now, mainly on United’s side. Fernandes goes down after being accidentally caught in the face by Estupinan, but the referee thinks he’s crying wolf and waves play on.
38 min Martial nicks the ball off Webster and is fouled. United are fuming that the referee hasn’t booked Webster. Even Erik ten Hag, who is usually fairly calm on the touchline, is giving the fourth official a mouthful.
38 min “With ankles being turned left and right,” says Peter Oh. “I wonder if the magic (spray) of the FA Cup is on show.”
37 min Casemiro is booked for am impatient tackle from behind on Mac Allister. United’s players dispute the decision but they don’t have a case.
36 min Okay, it hasn’t been the classic we hoped for, at least not yet, but it’s a really absorbing game.
35 min March and Fernandes are still on the field, which is good news for their respective clubs. I mean what a stupidly obvious thing to say.
34 min “Yes, the Sharp/Man Utd shirts were things of beauty,” says Paul In Murcia. “The longest shirt sponsors and I think that record still stands.”
For reasons I can’t explain, SHARP ELECTRONICS (1982-83) looks even better than plain old SHARP (1983-2000). The SHARP kits were still classics; well, most of them.
32 min: Half-chance for Brighton! Mitoma is looking dangerous now. He surges infield, away from Lindelof, and is about to shoot from the edge of the D when Wan-Bissaka makes a very good sliding tackle. The ball runs across to Enciso, who rifles a drive wide of the right-hand post.
30 min Estupinan releases Mitoma on the left of the area with a lovely pass. His cutback from the byline is calmly cleared by Dalot and United break thorugh Fernandes. He’s fouled by Gross, who is maybe fortunate to not be booked.
29 min Gross curls the corner towards the penalty spot, where Shaw muscles his way in front of Dunk to head clear. Good defending.
29 min March – who still isn’t moving perfectly – wins a corner off Dalot. The attack was started by a raking crossfield pass from Mac Allister.
28 min If necessary, this game will go extra-time and penalties.
27 min The injuries have halted the momentum of the game, at least for now. Brighton are still slightly the better side, though there’s very little in it.
26 min And now Rashford is down, having worn Gross’s elbow in the ribs. He’s fine.
25 min Fernandes is going to continue, though he also isn’t moving brilliantly. He hasn’t missed a game through injury in his entire career, according to Transfermarkt, so it’ll be weird if he goes off.
23 min Now Bruno Fernandes is down, and he’s not crying wolf. Like March, he got his right ankle stuck in the turf. It doesn’t reflect well on the pitch when that happens twice in five minutes.
21 min This doesn’t look good for March. His ankle got stuck as he was challenged by Dalot, so for a split-second his weight was going in a ligament-busting direction. He’s going to continue but he’s not moving freely.
19 min Solly March, who has started the game superbly, is down after getting his right ankle stuck in the turf.
