Jamie Redknapp criticises Man Utd pair after Brighton cup fightback

Jamie Redknapp has criticised two Manchester United defenders for their part in a dramatic Carabao Cup collapse against Brighton & Hove Albion. The Seagulls overturned a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 at Old Trafford in the third round.

Redknapp, the former Liverpool midfielder turned pundit, focused his analysis on United's young defensive pairing of Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven. He said their lack of aggression was key in the comeback. "You've got to go, you've got to be aggressive, both of them there, they showed their inexperience and if that doesn't change, they won't play for Man United regularly," Redknapp said.

Dramatic turnaround

Manchester United had raced into a commanding lead within the first ten minutes. Shea Lacey opened the scoring in the eighth minute before Mason Mount doubled the advantage just two minutes later. Brighton, who sit fifth in the Premier League with seven points from four games, began their fightback just before half-time. Charalampos Kostoulas pulled a goal back in first-half stoppage time.

The equaliser arrived in the 65th minute through Pascal Groß, who converted a cross from Luka Vuskovic. Just four minutes later, substitute Maxim De Cuyper completed the turnaround, firing in the winner. The result extended Brighton's recent strong form, which now reads three wins, one draw and one loss from their last five matches across all competitions.

Carrick takes responsibility

United manager Michael Carrick accepted the blame for the defeat in his post-match comments. "No, no, listen. The team's on me, so when we win, people say I'm doing a good job, and if we don't win or we don't get results, then a lot of it's on me," Carrick told reporters.

The victory adds another impressive result to Brighton's season, which has seen them score 13 goals while conceding only five. Their next challenge is a significant one, as they host league leaders Arsenal at the Amex Stadium this Saturday. The squad, which has seen contributions from across the board with Malick Yalcouyé currently the top scorer with two goals, will be looking to maintain momentum. Check the latest team news and availability on our squad list.

For Manchester United, the immediate focus shifts to a Premier League trip to Fulham at Craven Cottage, followed by a home match against Tottenham on October 10. The defensive questions raised by Redknapp will likely be a topic of discussion ahead of those fixtures. Brighton's comeback at Old Trafford demonstrates their capacity to fight back under pressure.

The report in full is at Daily Mirror Football