Manchester United coughed up a 2-0 lead to crash out of the EFL Cup to Brighton at Old Trafford, while Socceroo Alessandro Circati made his Europa League debut in Benfica’s 2-0 win at Milan’s famous San Siro Stadium.
United scored twice in the opening ten minutes courtesy of 19-year-old Shea Lacey’s first professional goal and a Mason Mount volley on the rebound, but for the remainder of the match, it was all Brighton.
Get all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!
The Seagulls struck back on the stroke of half time through Charalampos Kostoulas and then Pascal Gross equalised in the 65th minute.
Maxim De Cuyper added the visitors’ third in the 70th minute as United failed to give a yelp in response – Michael Carrick’s men went more than an hour without a shot on target.
“When Brighton went 2-0 down, you thought it’d be a tough night for them,” former Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder Jamie Redknapp said on Sky Sports.
“All of a sudden, they found a bit of rhythm. They had the best player on the pitch by a country mile in Pascal Gross. He ran the game. He dominated Manchester United’s midfield.
“He made it look like: why haven’t they bought him instead of the other players United signed like Santos and Tielemans?
“Nobody comes back from 2-0 down at Old Trafford. Brighton were the better side, looked a lot fitter and aggressive.
“Man United were so complacent, abject and it was awful. You thought they would bounce back after the weekend, but they didn’t.”
Even though Old Trafford is no longer the fortress it once was, United had not lost at home after being 2-0 up in 50 years.
That incredible streak ending added to the pain of Sunday’s 1-0 loss at home in the Manchester Derby, and yesterday’s reports that 15-year-old wonderkid JJ Gabriel, nicknamed ‘Kid Messi’, wants to leave the club.
United fans certainly made their feelings known with a chorus of deafening boos upon the referee blowing the final whistle.
It was the second time this year they had witnessed Brighton eliminate their team from a Cup competition, after doing so at Old Trafford in the FA Cup in January.
“It’s toxic at Old Trafford. Man United fans are singing: ‘What the f*** was that?” Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz said.
“Pressure ramped up on Michael Carrick now. Has this lost a few of the patient fans who were prepared to stand by the Man United head coach?
“The boardroom deserve a few questions too. United have lost against a team who made six changes. Brighton’s depth is a thousand times better than United’s.”
Fellow Premier League clubs Everton and Aston Villa advanced to the fourth round with a 1-0 win against relegated Wolves, and a 3-1 win against promoted Coventry respectively.
While fourth tier Fleetwood Town pulled off a remarkable 1-0 upset at home over Championship side Sheffield United.
The Europa League was also front and centre on Thursday morning with Circati’s European debut a standout.
The 22-year-old Australian left Serie A club Parma for Portuguese giants Benfica during the transfer window, and showed he is still right at home in Italy.
Circati was Benfica’s highest rated player in their 2-0 victory against AC Milan – who are managed by former Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim.
The centre back boasted the impressive statistics of an 88 per cent passing accuracy, seven defensive contributions, three clearances, two interceptions and a clean sheet.
Circati, who starred for the Socceroos at this year’s World Cup, had only come off the bench in his initial league outings for his new club, but played the entire 90 minutes in his first start for Benfica.
AC Milan have been sluggish in recent times with two draws in their last two Serie A matches, but Circati was vital in ensuring the likes of Portugal striker Goncalo Ramos, exciting Italian teen Alphadjo Cisse, Nottingham Forest Omari Hutchinson and American star Cristian Pulisic were kept quiet.
It was Benfica’s first ever victory against the Italian giants – having lost four and drawn two of their previous meetings, including tasting defeat the 1963 and 1990 European Cup finals.
Elsewhere in the Europa League, Premier League outfit Sunderland marked their return to European football for the first time in 52 years with a 1-0 win at home to AZ Alkmaar.